Chasing a Legend
by Voiceofsummer
Summary: During one of the most crucial missions in the history of Konoha, Sakumo is forced to make an all too different decision. The White Fang dies as a hero and not in disgrace. The life of Hatake Kakashi is changed forever. AU.
1. Prologue

**A/N: This actually came about because of the surprising lack of multi-chaptered Kakashi gaiden era fics out there. I'll try to keep my updates regular to maintain the flow of the story. Pairings will be canon apart from very, very eventual ObiRin and KakaAnko. Romance will not be a massive feature though and it will be done the way it is in the anime.**

**Happy reading!**

**18/3/13 - Edited**

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

It didn't matter what country, race, class or gender you are. All of the White Fang's victims died in a similar manner. Sakumo had not missed the irony of equality in death either. He had realised it during the horrors of his ANBU days after traipsing through the war torn land of Whirlpool. No matter how important you are, you would always end up dead with your body rotting away until even the mere memory of you was erased by time.

This Iwa nin was no exception. Like most of Sakumo's victims, he had no idea what had just hit him. All he remembered was a white streak singing through the air. In slow motion, he stared down at his chest in shock and the white blade that had pierced its way through his body winked back at him. Slowly, jerking his head upwards the Iwa nin's eyes met with his killer's; cold, grey irises with shades of sadness. Veteran eyes.

Blood began to fill his mouth and the blade was wrenched away. The Iwa nin collapsed to the ground and gurgled, "K-Konoha… White… Fang…"

Sakumo studied the dead ninja before him. The stupefied look of surprise on the man's face was far too familiar. What did it say about the world if a man was so used to seeing a corpse? He sighed and turned away.

_Did he have a family?_ The question sprung up unbidden in Sakumo's mind. He shook his head, chiding himself for the rookie thought. It was easier to think of enemy ninjas as objects. Us and them. Machines. To think of them as real people with friends, lovers and family... That was fatal. Sakumo had seen too many young ninjas cry after their first kill. However, Sakumo's first kill was not the one that really stuck out in his mind.

"Captain," a voice said. Sakumo pulled his gaze from the dead body to see a young jonin standing before him. "Everyone's grouped in the location as you ordered."

"Good," Sakumo nodded, "Brief me on the details on the way there."

No, the two kills that still haunted Sakumo took place in the second ninja world war- he even remembered the weather. It had been one of those chillingly cold nights the desert was so famous for, the type of cold that could freeze and crystallise your very bones.

The first had been a sand ninja with blood red hair. An incredibly skilled puppet master. The battle had been difficult but eventually Sakumo had slipped past his defences to puncture the man's lung with the white light chakra sabre that he was so famous for. The next had been a woman who'd used extremely difficult wind techniques. Sakumo couldn't recall much of the battles. What he remembered the most had been the positions of their bodies as they lay dead on the sand. Hands outstretched towards each other, their fingertips barely brushing. It was then Sakumo had, with sick realisation, guessed they must have been lovers or even husband and wife. Sakumo had just orphaned any children they had.

"The scouting group returned with no losses," the jonin told him. Kenji. Abe Kenji, that was his name. Sakumo had always done his best to memorise his teammates' names.

"Estimated numbers?" Sakumo asked.

"Around fifty," Kenji said. "Possibly more. Estimating from chunin to jonin in rank."

"How far from the border are they?"

"About ten miles." Damn. Sakumo's brow creased into a frown. Due to the treaty with Kusagakure, Konoha had been dragged into this incredibly complicated and dangerous mission. Iwagakure had been mobilising troops near the Land of Grass's borders, clearly readying themselves to invade. If the Iwa nins invaded the Land of Grass it could mean another unwanted war that Konoha would be pulled into. Sakumo's team had been sent out to halt the invasion. Not an easy task considering that his team consisted of only eight jonin including himself. Though Konoha did emerge victorious from the previous war, the village was still reeling from its losses. The sannin had dispersed, as Tsunade abandoned the village soon after. Jiraiya had also disappeared on his travels again. It was true that the village had the upcoming prodigy Namikaze Minato but Sakumo knew that the Third felt he was still too young to lead such a crucial mission.

Sakumo's jaw twitched slightly as he thought of Minato. Everyone praised of him so highly, but Sakumo could see nothing but Jiraiya in the boy. Even though Jiraiya was a good friend of Sakumo's, he did not want those negative influences around Kakashi or his student Kushina for that matter. Sakumo had seen far too many girls fall jealous and fight over Namikaze. However, the Third Hokage had insisted that since Sakumo hadn't found a suitable tutor for his son he had instead assigned Namikaze as his sensei.

Inwardly, Sakumo sighed. He sincerely hoped that his son would not turn out to be as perverted as Jiraiya.

"Captain," Kenji said. Sakumo nodded as they finally reached the huddled group of jonin.

"Uchiha Kotone and Hyuga Shirou are on watch," someone informed him. Sakumo nodded his thanks. After a brief talk with the rest the team it was clear that morale was low. But then it wasn't surprising, since they'd been living on nothing but soldier pills for the past few days. There hadn't been much action either, apart from the odd skirmish with the occasional Iwa nin.

A frown creased Sakumo's brow. Reaching into his pouch, Sakumo drew out a map of the Land of Grass. Near the borders, the dense forest disappeared into sparse grassland; not the ideal terrain for the ambush Sakumo had been hoping for. Taking an entire platoon head on would be suicide However… Sakumo knew that with his skilled team they would be able to prevent the Iwa nins from crossing the border and succeed in their mission. Behind his mask, Sakumo bit his lip.

"Captain!" Kenji grinned at him. He leaned over Sakumo's shoulder to stare down at the map, "So what's next?"

"Patience, Kenji," Sakumo told him. Kenji rumpled his hair and apologised. The boy was incredibly young in Sakumo's eyes. Barely turned twenty, he was keen for action and he clearly idolised Sakumo.

"I can't wait to tell my old team that I've been on a mission with Konoha's White Fang," Kenji said to Sakumo for approximately the ninety-ninth time.

Feeling slightly uncomfortable, Sakumo grasped his shoulder for a moment and reminded him, "The mission isn't over yet."

"Sakumo-san!" Someone cried. Sakumo narrowed his eyes as Hyuga Shirou ran towards him.

"Sakumo-san," Shirou gasped. "There are more Iwa nins. About a mile away to the east."

Sakumo's heart stopped. How did the scouts miss them? He frowned and drew out a kunai. Nicking his thumb on the blade, he sheathed the kunai and performed several seals.

"Summoning technique," he said hitting his palm on the ground. In a puff of smoke a small scraggy dog appeared.

"Yo, it's been a while Sakumo-chan," the dog said, quirking his head to one side.

"Take," Sakumo said. "How far away are the Iwa ninjas in the north?"

Take, an elder dog who was renowned in the summoning world for his sense of smell, tilted his head and closed his eyes. He took a long sniff before he replied, "There isn't an Iwa squad in the north." Take quirked a shaggy eyebrow at Sakumo. "It's a group of civilians."

Next to Sakumo, Kenji swore and the Hyuga jonin turned white.

"Good job," Sakumo said as he fought to maintain his face impassive. As long as he kept a calm pretence, the team should remain calm too.

Take nodded, "Good luck." The summon then vanished.

A group of civilians. Damn. Sakumo should have seen through that plan. Now the real force was less than a mile away. They'd most likely arrive in less than ten minutes... Not enough time for all of Sakumo's team to escape. Sakumo was _not_ going to sacrifice his entire team for the sake of the mission. Though Sakumo knew the consequences if the mission failed, he did not believe in sacrificing human life for the 'greater good'. There was only one way for his entire team to escape alive.

"Kenji," Sakumo started, "I want you to follow this order through at all costs. Do you understand?" Kenji nodded at his captain.

"Take the rest of the team with you and return to Konoha," Sakumo ordered, as he ignored Kenji's protests. "Under no circumstances are you to follow me. This is a direct order from your captain. You know the ninja code." Sakumo grasped his shoulder and smiled, "Good luck."

With that, Sakumo ran off in the direction of the Iwa force. Inside his mind, he had already formed a plan. Clapping his hands together in a number of seals, Sakumo muttered quietly, "Earth style: Head hunter technique." He slipped beneath the earth, waiting for the enemy to come. It didn't take long. In a matter of minutes, Sakumo heard the first distant footsteps.

_Focus… Focus_, he thought as he waited for the right moment. There!

Sakumo's hands shot out from beneath the dirt, dragging down the chunin above him. The man gave a yelp of surprise causing his teammates turn, but they were too late. Sakumo jumped up from the earth and with one smooth movement he drew his blade, slashing a surprised ninja across the throat. Shurikens whistled past and Sakumo swayed to the side, narrowly avoiding one to his eye.

Spinning around, Sakumo rolled forwards to slam his blade into a third Iwa nin's belly. The man gave a strangled scream, clutching his wound but Sakumo ignored him. He could feel around fifty or so chakra presences surrounding him fast.

A kunai shot past Sakumo's head just in time for him to see the explosive tag attached. Sakumo dove forward, narrowly avoiding the blast. Another Iwa nin charged at him through the smoke and Sakumo parried the man's kunai. With a flick of the wrist, Sakumo slammed the White Fang into the man's knee causing the enemy ninja to drop his kunai. The Iwa nin groaned stumbling back and began to form several seals, but Sakumo was too fast. Scooping up the fallen kunai, with one clean sweep Sakumo hurled the weapon at the man's throat causing him to duck. He ran forwards and ripped out his blade from the man's knee to send it upwards into his unprotected chest.

_Looks like I'll have to do that_, Sakumo thought as another ninja rushed at him. He sidestepped the Iwa nin but suddenly grunted as he felt several shuriken hammer into his back from behind. Ignoring the pain, Sakumo twirled his blade in one hand and feinted to the right. The Iwa nin grinned and aimed his kunai at Sakumo's apparently unprotected left. Sakumo suddenly swayed to parry the blow and he grabbed the Iwa nin's arm, wrenching it forwards. Confused, the Iwa nin didn't have time to react as Sakumo rammed the white chakra sabre into his chest.

_Five down. Only forty-five or more to go, _he thought grimly.

"It's time for the great Konoha White Fang to die!" Someone shouted. A shuriken grazed across Sakumo's cheek and he scowled as he sheathed his blade. He'd never approved of great speeches in battles or the taunts enemies' give to each other. It was all rather petty in his opinion.

Ignoring the Iwa nin, Sakumo whipped out a scroll from his tactical vest and hurled it into the air. As the scroll unfurled, Sakumo wiped the blood from his cheek onto his thumb and smeared it across the scroll. A kunai slammed into his back and a groan escaped Sakumo's lips but he said in a clear voice, "Summoning technique: Earth style: Hidden fanged chains!"

Screams filled the air as kunai-ridden chains burst through the earth, impaling several unlucky Iwa nins. The myriad of chains wove their way around the enemy ninjas and at the outer edges of the circle Sakumo's faithful summons held the chains taut. The kunai winked in the sunlight and the deadly maze was almost as tall as the summoner himself. At the centre, Sakumo began to form a mirage of complicated seals as he forced all of his remaining chakra into his one technique.

"Water style: Water bullets!" Someone yelled. Sakumo was helpless to the attack as he prepared his technique. All he could do was brace himself as rock hard water pellets smashed mercilessly into his body. With his ribs shattered on one side, the sheer agony almost caused Sakumo to lose his concentration. Blood began to fill Sakumo's mouth, soaking his mask, but he pushed himself to the very limit as his body began to glow with the white chakra he's so famous for.

Finally, Sakumo was ready. There were sudden yells as the Iwa nins realised what Sakumo was about to do but it was too late.

"Lightning style: The last dance of the thunder pack technique!" He shouted, grabbing the chains. There's a blinding flash as a hundred wolves formed from lightning appeared among the chains. With a puff of smoke, Sakumo's faithful summons vanished.

The wolves started to dance in and out of the chains at a blinding speed. Screams ripped through the air as the electricity strangled the Iwa nins. Sakumo collapsed to the ground, his body jerking and several coughs racked through his body as the electricity stabbed at him. The dance was mesmerising as the white electricity killed fully-grown ninjas in seconds.

As soon as it started, the bright light from Sakumo's technique was extinguished. All that was left was the stench of burnt flesh in the air. The silence was so peaceful to his ears and relief swept over him. His eyes began to glaze over and he found his mind wandering over to his son; Sakumo's sole reason to keep living after his wife died. Regret washed over him as he realised that he'd never see Kakashi grow up.

_Sorry… Kakashi…_ Sakumo thought as he stared up at the wonderfully serene sky. _I won't… Be there for you… Please… Forgive me…_


	2. Arc I: Beginnings: Chapter 1

**Part I**

**Arc I: Beginnings**

**Chapter 1**

The brand new forehead protector gleamed in the sunlight as Uchiha Obito adjusted it with a grin. He scrutinised his reflection for a moment, putting on what he thought was a 'cool ninja' face. The engraved Konoha emblem winked back at the nine-year old and Obito bounced on the balls of his feet with excitement. Today was Obito's first day as a genin. His first day as a real ninja.

Obito glanced at his bedside table to survey a pair of goggles. Even though the green elastic clashed with the forehead protector, Obito picked them up and slipped the goggles on. He just wouldn't be Obito without his trademark goggles. "Let's go!" He grinned and he raced out of his small apartment.

Today was one of those beautiful summer mornings Konoha was famous for. The sky was a wash of painful blue and already the air whispered promises of warmth. Obito strolled through the Uchiha compound and he felt a twinge of pride as several clan members jerked their heads at him. He may not look or act like a typical clan member, but now that he was a graduated ninja, Obito could begin to feel the small tendrils of acknowledgment he had been craving for his entire life.

Obito smiled as he began to imagine what his new teammates would be like. He hoped Rin; the incredibly pretty girl from his academy class would be there. Obito had spent most of last night picturing carefully what his team would look like. There would be Rin, giggling and blushing as Obito made some smooth joke. The other member would be a boy who Obito would have a friendly rivalry with. Someone who was easy going and they could train together. Then there would be their sensei. The one word Obito would use to describe his imaginary sensei with would be 'cool'. A fearsome jonin, who knew amazing techniques and shared poignant words of wisdom with his students.

"Hey! Obi-nii!" A small voice called, cutting through his daydreams. Obito stopped to see a small boy sitting on a wall far above his head. Most people would panic or ask how the four year old managed to climb up a six-foot wall but since the boy was Uchiha Shisui, the clan's latest prodigy, Obito didn't bother.

"You said you'd play with me today," Shisui glared at Obito. "You promised because academy's closed for summer."

"And I still will," Obito said. "When I get back."

Shisui smiled and then screwed up his face in thought. "Hey, aren't you meeting your team today?" He asked.

"Sure am," Obito confirmed.

Shisui leant down on his elbows and said, "Obi-nii… Didn't you say the meeting started at nine?"

"What time is it now?"

"Mmm…" Shisui frowned and Obito remembered that Shisui couldn't tell the time yet. Obito glanced across the street to see an elderly lady sweeping the pavement outside a small bakery.

"Hey Aunty Uruchi!" He called. "What time is it?"

"Around half past nine," She told him.

"I'm late!" Obito exclaimed and he raced off leaving Shisui laughing.

"Good luck!" Obito heard Shisui shout in the distance.

_Why does this always happen? _Obito thought frantically. He didn't understand it. No matter how hard he tried, it appeared that he was doomed to be eternally tardy.

Obito raced through the Uchiha compound, accidentally bumping into two stern looking clan members as well as knocking over a dustbin in the process.

"Sorry!" He yelled as the two men shouted after Obito. The rest of his journey was littered with apologies as he ran to the academy. Finally he made it. Three quarters of an hour late and horribly out of breath.

Obito sprinted down the corridors and threw the door open. "Sorry I'm late," he panted. "I had to teach a boy how to tell the time." Hey, it was kind of true.

There was silence. Obito's eyes finally fixed upon his 'cool' new teammates. There was Rin with her carefully painted cheeks and shiny hair. She smiled at Obito, her eyes sympathetic.

_Score!_ Obito thought.

"Well I'm glad to hear my new student is good citizen," a soft voice said. Obito dragged his gaze from Rin to see a tall, spiky blonde haired man leaning against the desk. The man had kind eyes and Obito decided to reserve judegment on whether he fitted the 'cool' criteria just yet.

Finally, Obito saw the last person in the room and his blinked behind his goggles hard.

No way... It couldn't be. He was supposed to be dead. Every child in Konoha knew the story of how the famed White Fang had single-handedly prevented a war. Yet there he was, sitting in the classroom. Well… A miniature version of Konoha's White Fang anyway.

It was then Obito realised with some embarrassment that he'd been staring at the boy for at least a minute. The boy simply glowered back. Whoever he was, it was clear that he was not impressed with Obito.

"Well now we're all here, let's go somewhere comfortable where we can introduce ourselves," Obito's new sensei said cheerfully, as if he was totally oblivious to the growing tension between Obito and other boy.

A painfully awkward silence hung over them as they walked up to the Academy roof, nothing how Obito imagined it to be. A soft breeze brushed past them and Obito sat down on the bench next to Rin's left side, not wanting to be too near the boy who was now blatantly ignoring him.

"Well first, we should all get to know each other," their sensei said as he leant against the railings. "My name is Namikaze Minato. I like reading, homemade cooking and sunshine… As for things I dislike, well… I don't actually dislike many things. My hobbies are developing new techniques and hmm… My dream…" His face split into a huge grin. "My dream is to become the next hokage."

As soon as Minato had mentioned the word 'sunshine', Obito decided his new sensei was… Kind of flaky, or worse, maybe even girly. Definitely not the cool sensei Obito had imagined.

Minato gestured at them to speak. As usual, Obito's mouth ran out of control. "My name is Uchiha Obito," He said in a loud and confident voice. "I like annoying my little cousin and wearing extremely cool goggles. I hate boring, arrogant people and my hobby is training! My dream is to get my Sharingan and to become a legend even greater than the Sannin or the White Fang!"

Minato smiled at Obito and said, "I wish you good luck with that dream."

Obito grinned and adjusted his goggles but he couldn't help but notice that the other boy was giving him the coldest glare imaginable. The glare could have given Uncle Fugaku a run for his money and Obito could have sworn he felt frost forming on his shoulders. Before Obito could ask the boy what his problem was, the soft voice of Rin caught his attention.

"My name is Nohara Rin," Rin mumbled, "I like…" She glanced at the other boy and blushed heavily as she fiddled with the hem of her shirt. A knot twisted inside Obito's stomach.

"…Flowers and collecting shells," she decided, "I don't really dislike much either and my dream is to become a great medical ninja. Just like Tsunade-sama."

Finally, Minato looked at the other boy who rolled his eyes and spoke in a bored voice, "My name is Hatake Kakashi. The only thing I care about is training. My likes… dislikes… hobbies… dreams… aspirations… Are none of your business." He gave Minato a pointed look.

Minato sighed, "Well, I guess that makes a change from what you said last time."

_Hatake… Wait a minute, then this means?_

"You're the White Fang's _son_?" Obito exclaimed. Rin appeared to already know this. Obito, however, was in awe.

"Apparently," Kakashi answered, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Obito couldn't believe it. Despite being an Uchiha, Obito had idolised the White Fang since he had heard the story of how he saved Konoha just last year. Hatake Sakumo's last stand had struck a chord within Obito and he had wanted to be a ninja just like the White Fang ever since. The slow sinking feeling of disappointment filled Obito's mouth. That single, first word from Kakashi had told Obito everything. The White Fang's son hated him.

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><p>Obito returned to the Uchiha compound surrounded by a depressed air. The day had turned out nothing like how he had imagined it. Rin seemed to be more interested in Kakashi than him. The White Fang's son hated him and Minato-sensei was just some flaky, rather boring jonin.<p>

"Obi-nii! Obi-nii!" A voice called. Obito dragged his gaze from the ground to see Shisui sprinting towards him. Despite his disappointment, Obito's face twitched into a smile as his cousin ran up to him.

"How was it?" Shisui asked excitedly, "Were your teammates cool?"

Obito sighed and answered, "I don't really want to talk about it." Shisui's face fell as he sensed his older cousin's mood.

"Can you teach me how to use a kunai?" he asked, perking up.

Obito's smile widened slightly and he kneeled down so he was level with Shisui. "Aren't you a bit young to be using real kunai?" He teased, ruffling Shisui's hair.

"No," Shisui pouted and this time Obito's smile broke out into a grin. Suddenly Obito realised that was what Shisui had been probably aiming for. That kid really was a genius.

"Race you to Aunt Mikoto's house!" Shisui shouted and he ran off laughing. Grinning, Obito followed letting Shisui lead until the very last moment when he cut in front of him.

"Better luck next time, Shisui-kun," Obito said as Shisui scowled. "Hey! Aunt Mikoto! We're here!"

There was the soft pad of footsteps and the door slid open. "Hello Obito-kun, Shisui-kun," She whispered. "You'll have to be quiet I'm afraid. I only just managed to get Itachi to sleep." Obito and Shisui nodded and the slipped off their sandals, following Mikoto inside.

"I've made your lunches," Mikoto said as they walked into the kitchen. She handed them two small boxes. "And I've also made you both some more frozen meals." She gestured to the pile of tin foil packs on the table.

"Thank you," Obito said. "I'll be earning soon so you won't have to make anymore meals after this!"

Mikoto shook her head and smiled, "You're a clan member Obito, as is Shisui. So you're family, and I can't let a family member go hungry."

Obito smiled and he resisted the urge to hug her. He wondered if this was what it felt like to have a mother. Obito's parents had died during the second ninja war and he could barely remember them. The same happened to Shisui's parents on a mission two years ago. Both boys had been starved of parental attention. That was why the soft, warm presence of Mikoto was the only motherly source they had.

Mikoto had been always the one to fuss over Obito and Shisui. She was the one who made their food and ensured their small apartment was clean. Mikoto had even turned up to Obito's graduation ceremony, and Obito knew she would be the one to make sure Shisui arrived at the academy now Obito had graduated.

"So how was your first day?" Mikoto asked Obito.

"Obi-nii said he didn't want to talk about it," Shisui told Mikoto in a very matter of fact voice.

Obito sighed, "No, it's just they're nothing like how I imagined…"

"Who are they?" Mikoto questioned.

"There's Rin…" Obito said his face lighting up a little. Then he remembered his other teammate. "And Hatake Kakashi…"

"Ah, the White Fang's son," Mikoto nodded. "I heard he's a genius just like his father. Graduated when he was five and a year later he became a chunin, Minato was teaching him, but he needed to be in his own social group I think."

"He's a chunin already!" Obito exclaimed in a loud voice, as he only heard the first part of her sentence.

Mikoto hurriedly shushed Obito and Shisui copied her action.

"Sorry," Obito whispered, but now he felt completely worthless. Kakashi was already a chunin? He _graduated_ at five years-old? Obito could barely hold a kunai at that age. He had failed his graduation test last year, causing scorn from several clan members.

Sensing Obito's change of mood, Mikoto hurriedly added, "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do just fine. After all, you're an Uchiha!" She ruffled both Obito and Shisui's hair and left to look after Itachi.

"Babies are boring," Shisui decided.

"He became a chunin when he was _six_?" Obito muttered, not listening as he still obsessed over Kakashi. "I really need to start training more…"

"Hey Obi-nii," Shisui tugged at Obito's sleeve, "What're you doing tomorrow?"

Obito's shoulders sunk as he remembered Minato-sensei-'s words from earlier:

_"Well now we've introduced ourselves, I want you to meet me at the third training grounds at seven o'clock tomorrow morning for a small test. There's no pressure," Minato added hastily seeing Rin and Obito's dismayed faces. "I just want to see what level you're at. Remember to eat breakfast and I'll see you there!"_

Obito groaned and suppressed the urge to bang his head against a wall. Suddenly he felt a slight tug at his sleeve.

"Can we play already Obi-nii?" Shisui asked, clearly bored.

Obito smiled and nodded. Carrying the food packs and calling their thanks to Mikoto, the two boys left the house. As they walked down the street, Obito could feel his dark hair grow warm under the afternoon sun. The slightly tinted goggles saved his eyes from most of the glare, however he soon grew uncomfortably hot underneath his jacket.

Inside his mind, Obito began to form one simple conclusion of how to solve all of his problems. Suddenly he stopped and stared up at the sky with a determined face.

"You know what I'm going to Shisui?" He said. "I'm going to train so hard, that I'll get my Sharingan. Then I'll become a legend, just like the White Fang! Then Rin will like me and Kakashi will envy me!"

Shisui stared up at Obito with his mouth slightly open.

"Who's Rin?" Shisui asked finally.

"Hehe… err, no one," Obito said blushing. "Come on, let's go and eat lunch." As the two boys walk to their small apartment, Obito was filled with newfound determination. Once he had trained with some really cool techniques and he achieved the sharingan, the son of the White Fang will have no choice but to acknowledge him. But… First… He had to figure how to pass Minato-sensei's mysterious test.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you to **Azaleatown **for being an awesome beta. Anyway, onwards with the chapter and I hope you enjoy it!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

"I promise… I will do my best to make you proud… Dad…" Kakashi knelt down in front of the KIA memorial and wiped off an invisible speck of dust with his sleeve. Gently, he traced his father's engraved name as he did every day. Kakashi's eyes slid out of focus and as the names that blurred his reflection came into focus.

"Rule number eight," Kakashi whispered, "A ninja must never question their leader." The words tasted horribly bitter to Kakashi, but that one rule was engrained into his brain.

For a moment he stared up at the sky and breathed in the sweet morning air. Even though it was past seven o'clock, Kakashi was in no hurry. The third training grounds were only a few minutes away. He sighed, straightened, and slowly descended the memorial steps. Kakashi had no idea what test Minato-sensei was going to set. No doubt it was something to test his new team mate's abilities, and also to see how he interacted within the group. Kakashi frowned as he walked.

Taking a shortcut through the woods, Kakashi emerged at the third training grounds to see Rin and Minato-sensei already there.

"G-good morning… Kakashi-kun," Rin smiled.

"Hello Kakashi," Minato said, cheerful as ever. Kakashi nodded at Rin and a knowing look passed between him and Minato. Minato knew exactly why Kakashi was ten minutes late.

Minutes rolled by, though Kakashi didn't particularly care if the idiot Uchiha was late. The extra time allowed him to analyse his surroundings.

Finally, at half past seven, the sound of heavy footsteps alerted the group. For a brief moment, Kakashi wondered how it was possible that someone with the surname Uchiha could be so loud.

"Sorry I'm late," Obito panted, "I had to help an old lady carry some groceries."

Rin nodded meekly, clearly not believing him, but as usual Minato-sensei smiled. Kakashi simply decided to ignore Obito. He hadn't forgiven him for gawking like everyone else yesterday. As soon as Obito had seen Kakashi, he had given him _that_ look. And it was _that _look which Kakashi despised.

"So, now that we're all here," Minato said, "We can now start _the test_." Obito and Rin exchanged nervous looks, however Kakashi rolled his eyes. It was clear that Kushina was rubbing off on Minato-sensei.

"The test is simple," Minato explained and Kakashi looked up with interest as he heard the soft jingle of bells.

"By noon you must retrieve these two bells from me. The person who doesn't retrieve a bell, will be tied up to that post while the others get to eat lunch!" The three students turned to see the three wooden posts behind them. Obito groaned loudly.

"Good luck!" Minato grinned, and with that he vanished.

* * *

><p>Screened by the undergrowth with one knee pressed to the earth, Obito stared through the leaves at Minato who was standing in clearing with his back exposed.<p>

_Hehe… Now's my chance!_ Obito thought. With a cry, he burst out from the bush and charged at Minato.

Obito aimed a punch at the back of Minato's head, but without even turning around the jonin blocked the attack with a forearm. Undeterred, Obito rolled to the side to send a kick upwards but Minato grabbed Obito's foot lazily with two hands and swung him to the ground.

Spluttering, Obito scrambled up as he spat out dirt from his mouth, feeling glad he was wearing goggles.

_Huh… Maybe he's better than I thought… Well, how about this!_

Obito flung a kunai in the direction of his sensei, but it merely whizzed past Minato's head as he tilted it slightly. Scowling, Obito ran at Minato again, but once more Minato easily parried Obito's right cross with a hand.

Suddenly, Obito vanished in poof of smoke and a lump of wood clattered to the ground. Minato raised an eyebrow and the real Obito, who was kneeling behind a tree, grinned.

"Ha, he fell for it," Obito said gleefully.

"Obito! Watch out! H-he's going to use a fire technique," Rin's voice punctured the air. But she was too late.

"A ninja should never leave their back unprotected," a soft voice said in his ear. "Konoha's secret finger technique: One thousand years of pain!"

Pure, undiluted agony flooded up Obito's rear and the momentum from Minato's rather dubious technique propelled Obito through the air until he landed face first into the dirt.

"My arse…" Obito groaned and he clutched the said appendage, which felt like it was on fire, "He's… So… uncool…"

Suddenly a shiny glint caught Obito's eye, and he looked up to see one of the bells lying beneath a tree. _No way!_ Obito thought in excitement. _He must have dropped it when he was performing his stupid technique!_

Glancing around, Obito staggered up and hobbled over.

"Easy," Obito laughed and he reached down to scoop up the bell. But his triumph was cut short when something fastened itself onto his ankle, and Obito's world suddenly blurred and was inverted.

"A ninja should never fall for such simple tricks," an upside down Minato sighed as he appeared in front of the dangling Obito. He smiled and re-attached the bell to his belt.

Obito turned bright red and scowled, swiping a fist at Minato who disappeared with a puff of smoke.

"Huh?" Obito said confused, "A shadow clone? I wonder where he really is…"

He reached up to his weapons pouch, only to realise with dismay that all his weapons had fallen to the ground. Obito groaned with frustration as he vainly attempted to reach one of his kunai lying on the grass below him.

Then, Obito heard something whistle through the air and suddenly he was sent crashing to the ground.

"Ahh!" Obito cried, rubbing his head as he blinked away tears. This test was turning out to be a complete disaster. He looked around with confusion, wondering who had cut the rope.

"You know… I thought it was against the laws of nature for an Uchiha to be this stupid," a voice drawled.

Obito gazed up to see Kakashi standing above him, not looking at all impressed. He opened his mouth then closed it again. Kakashi… cut him down? Obito's brain refused to comprehend this. He thought the White Fang's son hated him.

"Why?" Obito asked as he stumbled to his feet, "I… don't understand…"

Kakashi stared at Obito for a moment, and then answered in an impossibly cold voice, "Because, only scum would leave a team mate behind to their fate."

Obito gaped at Kakashi and started to wonder who the White Fang's son really was. Then, a shrill scream pierced the air.

"Rin!" Obito exclaimed, "We have to help her!"

Kakashi nodded in agreement, and the two boys ran into the woods following the source of noise.

"Lightning style: Beast running technique!" Kakashi shouted from behind Obito.

Obito yelped as a bright blue light streaked only nanometres past him.

"Watch it!" He snapped at Kakashi. But then his indignation soon died away, and was replaced with awe as he saw Kakashi's technique.

A wolf formed from snarling electricity raced towards Minato who was only standing metres away. Minato suddenly vanished and the wolf hit a tree instead, causing it to explode. Splinters rained down on Obito and he stared at the blackened remains in disbelief.

Then he heard the clash of metal to his left, and Obito raced toward the source. His eyes widened as he skidded into another clearing.

"The white light chakra sabre," Obito breathed, "So cool…"

He watched Kakashi swing the blade at Minato, who parried it with a kunai. With a flick of the wrist, Minato feinted to the right but Kakashi didn't fall for it. Instead, he reached into his weapons pouch and threw several shuriken at their sensei, who easily deflected them.

Inspired by this, Obito decided to aid Kakashi and he jumped in with a kunai. But at the same time Obito decided to help, Kakashi had jumped back and the two crashed into each other.

"Idiot!" Kakashi glared as they tumbled to the ground.

"I was trying to help!" Obito protested, "If you actually used your stupid big brain you would have known that."

Kakashi snorted, "You call that helping?"

"What did you say?" Obito shouted back.

Then, a shrill ringing cut through their argument. The test was over.

* * *

><p>Rin sat uncomfortably on the grass with the lunch box in her lap as her two other team mates bickered. Suddenly she wasn't hungry anymore. She bit her lip as she looked from one boy to the other.<p>

"It's your fault we're tied to the logs," Kakashi scowled at Obito.

"What? You're the one who bumped into me," Obito growled back as he strained against the bindings. Kakashi gave him a scathing reply and Obito began to yell at him once more.

Rin's gaze returned to the box and she anxiously twisted the hem of her shirt. She couldn't stand arguments, shouting, or any kind of conflict. As soon as someone began yelling, it instantly made her shrivel inside.

"P-please…" She whispered with her shoulders hunched. The two boys didn't hear her and continue.

"Please," she said a little louder. Still no luck. "Just… Just stop it!" The two boys fell silent and looked at her.

"Sorry Rin," Obito said. Rin managed a smile.

"You're probably hungry… Right?" she asked.

Obito grinned, which sent a boost of confidence in her. Then his face fell as he remembered Minato's words earlier.

"But sensei said me and Kakashi couldn't eat," he reminded her.

"Just give him the food, Rin," Kakashi said, "It'll shut him up." Inwardly, Rin smiled. It was the first time Kakashi had spoken directly to her. Shifting over, Rin opened the box and with her chopsticks she lifted a ball of rice to Obito's mouth.

"Woah, what do you think you're doing there, Rin?" Minato suddenly appeared behind Obito and Kakashi, and he leaned on their posts. Rin jumped in surprise and dropped her chopsticks.

"S-sorry sensei," she apologized, staring at her knees, "I was just… Obito was hungry… and…"

"Why were you giving him food?" Minato asked, now glaring at her.

"B-because…" Rin's voice died away.

"Because we're team mates!" Obito said staring up at Minato with a determined look, "Team mates look out for each other."

For a moment, the three students quailed slightly under Minato's scrutiny, then his face broke out into a grin.

"Correct," he beamed.

Rin smiled, relieved, and Obito laughed. But then as Minato's face turned serious, they fell silent.

"This test was designed to test your teamwork skills," he told them, "And although all three of you did shows signs of watching out for each other, there is a lot- no, a _huge _room for improvement."

The three students stared at the ground, and Rin felt Minato's gaze fall upon her.

"Rin," Minato started, "You did warn Obito, but you're far too sensitive and you lack the necessary confidence in battle, which is why you fell for such a simple illusion technique." He then looked down at Obito and sighed.

"Obito. You don't think. To rush out at your opponent like that in a real battle situation is suicide. Though you did have good intentions in helping Kakashi, you _must_ learn timing and planning." Then Minato gazed down at Kakashi with a disappointed look.

"Kakashi… you did help Obito… but you must learn how to respect and especially _trust_ your team mates. They're there to help you, Kakashi. Build a strong friendship with your team, and they'll never leave you behind." Kakashi looked away.

_I wonder what sensei meant by that,_ Rin thought.

"But anyway," Minato smiled down at them, "I look forward to being your sensei, and we'll have great fun doing our first D-rank mission tomorrow!" With that, he vanished.

"Cool, a mission!" Obito said excitedly as Rin began to cut through their bindings.

"Don't get too excited," Kakashi warned.

Rin didn't say a word as she hacked away at the rope. Sensei was right. She needed to be more confident. Though she had got top grades in the academy, Rin hated violence, which was why she wanted to be a medical ninja.

She had always sat in the corner of the class, not interacting with the other students. Her words were always jumbled up, and whenever she tried to talk to the other girls they just dried away completely. In a way, Rin had always admired Obito's confidence from a distance. Though it was Kakashi who had always entranced her with his tragic past and sad eyes. She had always seen him walking around Konoha with his father, and when the White Fang had died, Rin never had seized the courage to comfort him. Instead, she had simply watched Kakashi walk by on his own, or with Minato or the other woman she sometimes saw him with. But he was never with anyone their age, and Rin had always wondered if he was like her. If he too was lonely, and had no friends.

Under the warm sunlight, Rin smiled. If she worked hard enough, she could be confident and strong like Tsunade-sama. Maybe then Kakashi would think of her as more than just a team mate. Obito too seemed fun and nice. Rin hoped they could be friends.

Filled with new-found confidence, she smiled at the now free boys, "I… I can't wait for our first mission together."

Kakashi and Obito exchanged looks. Then, Obito grinned at her and even Kakashi smiled a little. Tomorrow would be the first mission of Team 7.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: I am really really sorry about the delay. However here's a double chapter special to make up for it!**

**Again, thank you **Azaleatown **for beta-ing this chapter.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

"This is our first mission?" Obito asked incredulously, "Are you joking, sensei?"

As usual, Minato smiled and with his seemingly eternal patience, replied, "Of course not Obito! A ninja must do their part for the community. After all, civilians live in Konoha too. This is a very serious mission."

"You're only saying that because someday you want a poor team of genin to be washing your face up here," Kakashi muttered dryly.

"But cleaning the Hokage monument!" Obito exclaimed as they stood on the scaffolding that was attached to the side of the mountain, with buckets of soapy water and sponges, "This is going to take us hours!"

"Ah, but that's where teamwork comes in," Minato grinned, "The more efficiently you work together, the quicker it will be done. Also…" He climbed up onto the scaffolding railing.

Rin smiled as Obito gaped at their sensei. It seemed that though Kakashi and Obito weren't keen on each other, they usually united against Minato-sensei.

She watched the jonin stand on the railing. Though sensei was perhaps a little strange he was extremely nice. Then, suddenly Rin's eyes widened as Minato leaped off the railing

"Ah, sensei!" Obito shouted next to her and he ran to the side.

"Idiot," Kakashi muttered and Rin bit her lip. Sensei was a jonin so he was obviously fine… Right? Minato's laughter suddenly rang out breaking her thoughts.

"Up here Obito!" He called. The students craned their necks upwards to see Minato sitting on the Third's nose.

Minato waved at his students while both Rin and Obito gaped at him. The jonin stood and began to walk down the Third's face until he neatly hopped back onto the scaffolding.

"I'm going to teach you some chakra exercises while we complete this mission," he told them, "Kakashi, you need to increase your chakra stamina, so I want you to teach Obito and Rin."

Kakashi gave Minato a rather disgruntled look, and then he sighed, "Okay." He agreed reluctantly. Minato grinned and thrust his hand forwards in front of his students.

"Mission start!" He said enthusiastically. They stared at his hand in silence.

"So uncool," Obito muttered, and for once, Kakashi agreed with him. Rin giggled at Minato's downcast face.

Kakashi then turned to Obito and Rin, ignoring their sensei.

"It's easy once you get the hang of it," he told Obito and Rin. "All you do if focus the chakra to your feet, and walk. It's best to take it at a run up on your first attempt."

_I'll have to give it my best, _Rin thought. _Obito will obviously be better at this me… He is an Uchiha after all and they're renowned for their illusionary techniques… And I want to impress Kakashi…_

Rin stared up at the Hokage monument that suddenly seemed impossibly high. She glanced at Obito who had clapped his hands together and closed his eyes. "Let's go!" Obito yelled and Rin watched as he charged towards the rock. The momentum propelled him forwards and his feet made contact with the rock. One step… two… three!

Then just as Rin thought he was there, his foot slipped and the chakra faded.

"Ah!" Obito cried as he fell back and onto the platform, rubbing his head furiously as he sat up.

"Keep going," Minato urged, his voice full of encouragement.

"Three steps…" Kakashi muttered, "To be expected, I guess…"

"I'll show you!" Obito said and he jumped up.

Obito's determination inspired Rin and she closed her eyes.

_Focus the chakra to my feet…_

Rin's eyes flew open and she ran towards the rock. She heard Obito give her a cheer as she sprinted onto the Third's chin.

_I can do this! _Rin thought, then suddenly, the memory of Obito falling filled her mind. Doubt caused her concentration to slip and her chakra faded.

Panic seized Rin and she let out a small scream as her feet lost contact with the rock and she began fall through the air.

Then… Rin blinked. She was suddenly in the arms of Minato-sensei. Gently he placed her on the ground with a smile. "You should have more confidence in yourself Rin," he told her. "Someone like you should be even better than Kakashi and Obito at this exercise."

Rin's shoulders sagged. She had failed. Even worse she had panicked. A bitter taste filled Rin's mouth.

Suddenly she felt a hand touch her shoulder and she looked up to see an impossibly bright smile. "Don't worry Rin," Obito grinned. "You'll get it next time. I know you will."

"It took me three days to master it," Kakashi offered slowly and Rin smiled.

"T-thank you," She whispered and she felt glad that she was part of Team 7.

"Three days?" Obito said to Kakashi. "I'm going to beat that!"

"Yeah right," Kakashi snorted.

"H-hey… Why don't we j-just work together?" Rin said and the two boys fell silent. She could almost feel Minato's smile radiating from behind her.

"You're right Rin," Obito said. "Good luck! And I'll race you to the top!"

Rin smiled back and a small part of her wished that she had spoken to Obito during their time at the academy. There was something about him that filled her with hope. Maybe it was the confidence he oozed or that bright smile of his. Like Rin, Obito too had been without any friends at the academy. She had never been one of the students who had laughed at Obito and tormented him for being a talentless Uchiha. Rin had always wished she had had the courage to stand up to them. Sometimes she loathed herself for how pathetic she could be.

Rin watched as Obito glared at the wall and he charged at the rock once more. This time he made five steps until the rock suddenly cracked beneath Obito's foot and he jumped down.

"Hehe… Sorry sensei," he grinned as he rubbed his hair sheepishly.

"That's why the exercise should be done on trees," Kakashi muttered. Minato laughed awkwardly as Kakashi's disapproving tone had reminded him of a certain someone.

_Confidence, _she told herself firmly and Rin closed her eyes as she held her hands together.

With renewed determination Rin flew at the monument. With her arms flying behind her she sprinted up the Third's chin, across the lips. Suddenly the stone cracked beneath her. Fighting to remain calm Rin skidded back and nimbly made her way down.

"See what a little confidence can do?" Minato said with his eyes twinkling as she made it back to the scaffolding.

"Ah sensei!" Obito cried suddenly and he pointed upwards. "Rin defaced the Hokage's face!"

"S-sorry sensei…" Rin said as she began to wonder whether it was a crime to vandalise the Hokage monument. What horrible punishments would they have in store for her? Would sensei be furious? Worries began to spin round and round inside Rin's mind.

Suddenly the sound of Obito's laughter cut through her fretting. Rin stared at him open mouthed and it soon dawned on her that Obito had been teasing her.

A small giggle bubbled out of her mouth and Rin held a hand over her mouth as more laughter started to escape. She looked at Kakashi who appeared slightly bemused by the whole thing. He shrugged and began to walk up the Third's face.

_I wish I could make him laugh, _Rin thought as she giggled with Obito.

Minato shrugged and said, "don't worry Rin."

"Right," Obito said after several minutes once they've recovered from their laughter.

Rin nodded, "good luck Obito."

This time… This time she was going to make it to the top. The first time had been too little chakra. The second too much. She needed to find the right balance.

Rin allowed her body to relax and once again she formed the chakra concentration pose. Her breathing became calm and her heartbeat slowed to a slow steady rhythm. Thoughts escaped her mind and all Rin concentrated on was the sun warming her skin and the breeze gently ruffling her hair.

With a deep breath Rin opened her eyes. A new internal peace had settled over her. She bunched her muscles together and ran up the rock, still thinking out the texture in the stone and the weather.

Up and up she ran, across the lip and up the bridge of the nose.

_So close…_ The thought punctured her calm and her foot slipped.

Suddenly a hand fastened around hers and someone yanked her up to the top of the Hokage's head.

Rin blushed furiously. "K-Kakashi-kun," she stammered.

"You were almost there," Kakashi shrugged and he returned to constructing the pulley system he had been working on to hoist up buckets of water.

Rin felt slightly faint at the thought that Kakashi had actually touched her.

Attempting to clear her head, she turned around and gasped. Before her lay Konoha is all of its glory. A smile broke out across her face and she waved to Obito and sensei on the scaffolding below.

"Amazing Rin!" she heard Obito. "Rin mastered it in three tries! It took you three days Kakashi!"

Rin laughed awkwardly as she glanced at Kakashi. Kakashi seemed to have decided that answering Obito's taunt wasn't worth his time. He returned to fastening the ropes.

For a moment Rin found herself staring at his soft looking silver hair then she seized up the courage to say, "um… T-Thank you…"

Kakashi looked up at her with an expressionless look and nodded.

A slight feeling of disappointment filled Rin but she pushed away. One day… One day she will make Kakashi acknowledge her… For now however, she had to go and help Obito and sensei below.

* * *

><p>There was a time when Kushina had thought Hatake Sakumo was immortal. There was something about her sensei that had oozed a sense of wonder within Kushina. Not just because of his skills in battle. After all, Orochimaru was an incredibly skilled fighter, but he would be the last person Kushina would admire.<p>

No, Kushina had idolised Sakumo-sensei for a completely different reason. He was one of the first people to accept Kushina for who she was. She wasn't just some strange foreigner to him, or a monster for that matter. She was Uzumaki Kushina, a Konoha ninja who was proud of her Whirlpool roots. Though she had always found it difficult to be accepted by her other teammates, Sakumo had been there for her. He was the one who treated her to ramen and helped her master new techniques. Whenever Kushina had got mad with Minato, Sakumo was the one she went to.

Kushina had been present at her sensei's wedding, and she had babysat Kakashi. She had been practically part of the Hatake family.

Which is why it had broken Kushina's heart to see Kakashi so tormented. Ever since his father had died, Minato and Kushina had watched as Kakashi had slowly isolated himself from the world. Sometimes, even they found it difficult to get the boy to trust them.

In true, spectacular Konoha style, the sun had began to set, staining the sky a deep orangey red. Though, Kushina had always felt they were nothing compared to the sunsets back in Whirlpool. Back on the island, the sky would turn into a mirage of colours. With oranges, reds, with a hint of gold around the setting sun. Purples had streaked across the sky and the soft ebb of eventide had washed in from above in a faded indigo. Shadows used to lengthen and dance, and the world used to be cast in a strange alien glow.

Even now, Kushina felt a sharp pang of sadness as she thought of her old home.

She walked across the grass towards the KIA memorial until she was only metres behind the person sitting in front of it.

"I thought you'd be here," she said softly to the young boy. Kakashi tore his gaze away from the memorial and stood to face her.

"When did you get back from your mission?" He asked.

"This afternoon," she told him shrugging, "Just a standard A-rank." Kushina couldn't help but give him a sneaky grin, "Why? Worried, were we?" Kakashi scowled.

"No. You're a jonin after all. You should be able to look after yourself."

She rumpled his hair, making it stand on end even more. Kakashi really needed to invest in a comb. Though, Kushina felt honoured that Kakashi let her mess up his hair.

"So," Kushina said. "How's the new team? Minato told me you've spent three days doing D-ranks."

Kakashi's eyes darkened slightly and Kushina grinned. She could understand perfectly how Kakashi felt. During her genin days, she had constantly complained to her sensei about how boring D-ranks were.

"Hey Kakashi," Kushina said, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "I heard that there's a cute girl on your team. Anything you want to tell me?"

Kakashi gave her a wholly disapproving look, "There's nothing to tell."

"Don't be shy," Kushina laughed, knowing all too well how many fan girls Kakashi had managed to accumulate, even though he'd only been in academy for a year, "Minato told me everything."

"Since when was Minato-sensei an expert in relationships?" Kakashi snorted.

Kushina looked at him thoughtfully, and she winced as she remembered that whenever she blushed around Minato he had always asked her if she had a fever.

"You should just tell him you like him," Kakashi told her bluntly.

Kushina grew bright red and replied indignantly, "I do _not _like him that way… Anyway, I would never want a boyfriend who's even more girly than me."

Though both of them knew it was a lie. From the day Minato had rescued Kushina when they were fifteen, she had been hopelessly in love with him. The problem was Minato was far too much of a gentleman to make a move, and Kushina was too much of a coward to tell him her secret. She was terrified that if Minato found out, he'd never want to speak to her again.

She sighed, "Sometimes for a genius, Minato can be incredibly slow… Maybe that's why sensei thought he was an idiot."

"Dad also thought he was a womanizer and a pervert," Kakashi added.

Kushina watched as Kakashi's eyes dilated. It had been the first time he had mentioned his father so casually in conversation. Gently, she touched his shoulder and Kushina felt Kakashi relax.

"Come on," She said with a sad smile, "I'll treat you to some ramen."

They decided to take the shortcut across the third training grounds when Kakashi stopped. Kushina frowned. In the distance they could hear the sound of someone yelling.

"Sounds like someone's doing some late training," she observed.

Kakashi stared into the thicket where the noise was coming from and he said, "I'll meet you at Ichiraku's." And with that, he headed off into the wood.

Intrigued, Kushina stared after him. Then an idea flicked in her head. Grinning, she clapped her hands together into a seal and whispered, "Shadow clone technique."

Kushina's clone followed Kakashi into the wood until she spotted him a couple of meters away, hiding behind a tree. Peering around, Kushina saw who Kakashi was staring at.

A boy, around Kakashi's age, with a pair of distinctive goggles stood panting in a clearing. Behind him was a heavily scarred tree. The boy glared at the tree then raced up it. There's a moments silence until there's the sound a wood splintering and the boy came tumbling back to the earth.

"Damn it," the boy panted, "Must… beat… Kakashi… just five more… hours to go…"

Kushina's eyes widened. This boy must be Kakashi's other teammate Minato had mentioned… Uchiha Obito, that was it. She had already heard about him from Mikoto.

Obito raced up the tree once more, and yet again he came tumbling down. Again and again, Kushina and Kakashi watched Obito try to master the tree climbing exercise. Kushina's eyes then switched onto Kakashi whose eyes were glued on Obito with a strange fascination. Kushina knew why. Although Minato had told her both boys were complete opposites, it seemed that Kakashi and Obito shared the same tunnel vision when it came to training.

Then something happened which amazed her. Kakashi stepped out from the tree and called out to him.

"You need to find the right balance."

Obito turned and gave Kakashi a decidedly suspicious look.

"Just let your mind go blank," Kushina heard Kakashi advise, "That's what I do… if you do that, you should be able to find it."

Obito gave Kakashi a confused look, but shrugged. He clapped his hand together and closed his eyes. Kushina watched with baited breath.

Then Obito's eyes flew open. Kunai in hand, he sprinted up the tree. Both Kakashi and Kushina have their necks craned upwards until they hear Obito's ecstatic cheer.

"Wow! Kakashi! You've got to see the view up here!"

_Do it Kakashi,_ Kushina thought as Kakashi took one step forward.

For minutes Kakashi stared upwards, then with an unfathomable look that was the spitting image of his father's, Kakashi turned away from the tree and slipped into the night.

Kushina's clone dispelled and back at Ichiraku's, the real Kushina jerked. She sighed and stared at her bowl of ramen in disappointment.

_One step at a time, _she told herself. _One step at a time… Looks like he can only manage baby steps at the moment, I guess…_


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Weeks flew by which soon turned into a month and a half. A pleasant form of peace settled over Minato. After many D-ranked missions together and a C-rank his team were finally gelling together. Though admittedly Obito and Kakashi still constantly argued. Rin had managed to secure a part time apprenticeship at the hospital, much to Minato's pleasure. He hoped that soon Kakashi would start to open up to his teammates.

However a dark cloud had recently marred Minato's contentment. News had flown in reporting that the Stone Country had allied themselves with Iwagakure and it seemed they were preparing to launch an assault on Sunagakure. A war between Iwa and Suna did not bode well for Konoha. One simple twist of fate could cause the entire land to descend into a Third World War.

Minato knocked on the Hokage's office door. Though most ninjas either teleported straight in or appeared at the window, Minato felt it was always polite to approach the Hokage via the conventional route.

"Come in Minato," the Third's deep voice called.

"You wanted to see me Hokage-sama," Minato said, inclining his head as he closed the door behind him.

As always the Third appeared to be amused by Minato's impeccable manners. "Yes," he nodded. "Come." He held out a file.

Walking over Minato took it off him. "A B-rank mission?" Minato said, raising an eyebrow. "With all due respect, Hokage-sama, Rin and Obito are still genin. Even Kakashi hasn't seen real action yet."

"Indeed," the Third sighed. "But as you know many of the jonin are currently out on intelligence missions due to the recent situation with Iwa. Since Kakashi is a chunin and you are their sensei I believe your team is the most prepared out of the genin teams to take on this mission."

Before Minato could object the Hokage continued, "The mission is a relatively simple one. All it requires is for you to collect some information from the Land of Frost. Our ally is in the town of Koori."

Minato flipped open the file. The mission was indeed a simple one. The information was to be passed on there, as it was too sensitive to be flown out by air.

"Ishikawa Nobu has long been Konoha's ally and informant on Kumogakure's activities," the Hokage said. "The information he has is most likely extremely valuable as our spies have reported that Kumo ninjas have grown increasingly active in the past months."

Though Kumogakure was an isolated ninja village it was well known that they had a habit of 'collecting' ninja with special abilities. Minato's fists tightened as he remembered all too well the incident six years ago when they had kidnapped Kushina.

Kushina had been extremely vague about why they had kidnapped her, though she had mentioned it was something to do with her chakra. Ever since they had first met Minato had sensed her enormous chakra supplies and the subtle differences they had to a normal Konoha ninja, so he guessed it must be a trait of the Uzumaki clan.

"The only reason this mission is a B-rank is that it is in the Land of Frost," the Third told him. "So there is a very small likelihood that you may meet Kumo nin."

Minato nodded and sighed, "I'll inform my students… We'll set out tomorrow."

The Hokage nodded and smiled, "Good luck Minato."

* * *

><p>Obito was shaking with excitement. A B-rank mission? He grinned as he imagined what stupid Genma and annoying Asuma who had always laughed at him would say if they knew he, Uchiha Obito the class dropout, was being sent out on a B-ranker.<p>

Obito chuckled and continued to pack his bag. Suddenly his bedroom door flew open and Shisui burst in. "Obi-nii!" He called. Obito jerked his head up.

"What's up Shisui?" Obito asked as he folded a spare shirt.

"Uncle Fugaku is here," Shisui said, his eyes wide. Obito dropped his shirt onto the floor, with his mouth open.

Never, has the new leader of the clan paid them a visit. In fact Shisui and Obito did their best to avoid Fugaku as a meeting with the head usually ended in a scolding.

Wondering what he could have possibly done to deserve this, Obito dragged his feet to the door.

As always Uncle Fugaku looked imposing, with his stern face and dressed in full Konoha police uniform. "Hello… Uncle…" Obito said.

Fugaku jerked his head and disappeared. Scrabbling to get his sandals on Obito ran after him. The walk together was silent and extremely awkward, as Obito frantically went through every possible punishment Fugaku had in store for him. He _did_ accidentally knock over someone's flowerpots yesterday… Oh and when he picked up Itachi today he did burst into tears… Mind you Shisui was worst off when Itachi had drooled all over him. Shisui had spent the entire journey home declaring how much he hated Itachi.

Fugaku led him out of the Uchiha compound and down a small path that turned into a beautiful red bridge across the Naka River.

Usually Obito loved it here. He and Shisui always sat on the bridge eating their lunch and in the summer the boys would always swim in the shallower area. Then when spring arrived the cherry blossoms bloomed littering the river with soft pink confetti. In his dreams Obito always imagined taking Rin there and putting a cherry blossom in her hair.

They crossed the bridge and continued to walk until they reached the small lake next to the Uchiha compound. Fugaku stopped by the small pier.

"I heard you were assigned to a B-rank mission," he said finally.

"Y-yeah…" Obito said and he straightened a little. Fugaku surveyed him for a long time.

"Obito," he said. "You must behave in a more appropriate manner. Several clan members have complained. An Uchiha should always act with dignity. We are the descendants of the greatest clan in history. Remember that."

Obito's shoulders sagged. He knew it. It was just another one of the clan talks that reminded him how much of an outsider he was. "However," Fugaku said and he raised an eyebrow slightly. "I believe that as you have graduated you are ready to learn a new technique. Since your father is no longer here to teach it to you…"

Obito's head shot up. "Really?" He said excitedly. "Wow that's-" The words died away as he caught Fugaku's disapproving look. "Um… I mean thank you Uncle."

"Watch closely," Fugaku told him and he faced the lake.

Deliberately forming the seals so Obito could see, Fugaku drew in a deep breath and said, "Fire style: Great fireball technique!"

An explosion of fire blew out across the lake and Obito's jaw dropped in amazement. He could practically feel the heat melting his face as Fugaku's inferno caused steam to rise from the water. The water hissed angrily and through the water vapour Fugaku nodded for Obito to copy his technique.

Swallowing hard, Obito began to focus his chakra and he started to slowly form the seals. If he could impress Uncle Fugaku with this technique then maybe he'd be accepted into the clan.

Obito drew in a deep breath and said, "Fire style: Great fireball technique!" A pathetic stream of smoke sprinkled with faint sparks was merely expelled from his mouth.

Fugaku sighed, "To be expected."

He walked away leaving Obito crumpled with disappointment. He stared at his reflection in the water, hating clan expectations but most of all hating himself.

* * *

><p>The next morning was a cloudy one as Team 7 gathered outside the main gate of Konoha. Well, most of Team 7 that is.<p>

Rin of course was the first to arrive, followed closely by Minato. She would always enjoy those slightly awkward talks with her sensei as they waited for the rest of the team to arrive. Minato would always smile and offer friendly advice or ask how her apprenticeship was going at the hospital. Though Rin's parents were keen to know what was going on in her life, Rin had no other ninja to talk about her missions with, so it was often Minato whom she talked to. Sometimes she worried that he would grow bored but Minato seemed to be genuinely interested.

"So how's the book I lent you?" He asked as they yet again waited for Kakashi and Obito.

"It's good t-thank you," Rin nodded. "I think I've managed to learn s-some basic first aid techniques."

Minato half joked, "Let's hope you don't have to use them on this mission."

Rin nodded meekly and stared at the ground. In all honesty she was slightly terrified that they were going on a B-ranked mission.

The sound of footsteps broke her thoughts. Rin glanced up to see Kakashi approach. Immediately she spotted that instead of his normal gloves, Kakashi's hands were swathed in bandages.

When Minato opened his mouth Kakashi shot him a look that could have frozen the sun. Minato sighed and Rin's shoulders sank. As soon as you thought you had made progress with Kakashi you would somehow find yourself where you began.

Rin bit her lip. She found it impossible to understand that boy. However, a small part of her started to worry about how Kakashi injured himself.

As usual, they waited for another twenty minutes before the heavy footfalls of Obito sounded.

"Sorry I'm late!" Obito panted. "There was an old lady who needed help with carrying some boxes into her store."

"That's a lie," Kakashi said right on cue.

Rin laughed awkwardly. Admittedly it was slightly annoying that they had to always wait for Obito but somehow when he turned up, out of breath and with that grin of his Rin found it was impossible not to forgive him.

"Don't say that Kakashi," Minato-sensei smiled. "You helped that lady right Obito?"

Obito nodded seriously as he pushed up his goggles and rubbed his eyes, "They were really heavy sensei."

Now that Rin looked closer at her teammate it was clear that Obito appeared incredibly tired. There were bags under his eyes and his hair was standing on end even more than usual. It was as if Obito had stayed up all night training… But he wouldn't do that before such a big mission… Right?

"You, are far too needy," Kakashi told Obito bluntly. He turned away and began to walk.

"What did you say?" Obito yelled, running after him. "Droopy eyed bastard."

"Dropout loser," Kakashi responded without turning around.

Reluctantly Minato and Rin followed. Minato rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and Rin sighed. This was going to be a long trip.

* * *

><p>The five-day journey across the Land of Fire, through the Land of Hot Water and into the Land of Frost was a thoroughly uneventful one. The town of Koori was nestled in a deep valley in the snow-capped mountains. Despite the balmy late September air back in Konoha, the climate here was a lot cooler and after arriving in Frost Country Minato's team were soon wrapped up in cloaks, their Konoha headbands also removed for stealth purposes.<p>

The town itself was a small one, though as it was on the main route to the Land of Lightning many travellers usually stayed so the townsfolk didn't bat an eyelid when Team 7 booked themselves in at an inn.

"Excuse me," Minato asked as the landlady after they'd checked in. "But would you be able to recommend us somewhere to eat?"

The young, blonde and buxom woman blushed. Her eyes roved up and down Minato's body. She licked her lips and replied, "Somewhere to _eat_ eh? Oh I certainly know what you could eat…"

Minato somehow managed to start choking on his own saliva and he frantically gestured at his students. Kakashi took one look at the woman and thought; _Kushina could take her in a fight any day._

"Cute," the woman smiled at them, without taking her eyes off their sensei. "Who are they?"

"They're my tutees," Minato lied smoothly as he managed to recover his dignity. "At the moment I'm educating them in painting… And as the scenery is so beautiful here…"

"A talented man?" The woman said, looking delighted and she winked. "A shame for someone such as you to be _tied down_."

Minato began to stammer something incomprehensible while Obito sniggered.

The woman cheekily flicked the underside of Minato's chin and said, "Well… _Sensei_ I could always do with an extra few lessons if you're keen."

Minato blushed a similar shade to Kushina's hair. "T-that's very flattering," he gulped. "But I'm afraid I have quite a busy schedule."

The woman pouted and leant her elbow on the counter so Minato was a clear view of her cleavage. Obito was now openly laughing and even Kakashi felt fairly amused. Both boys were not at all interested in the woman's appendages, as puberty hadn't struck yet. Minato, meanwhile, was suddenly struck by a coughing fit and turned away so fast all Kakashi saw was a yellow flash.

"W-we better g-get g-going…" Rin whispered appearing slightly shocked. Kakashi nodded all too keen to get away from the woman. Mostly for Minato-sensei's safety. Not because he was afraid of what the woman would do. No, he was more concerned of what Kushina's reaction would be if she found out that Minato had been with another woman. A few years ago, when Minato had had probably his first girlfriend ever, Kushina had been so consumed with jealously she had brushed off him for the five months it had lasted. Not to mention her temper had been constantly on edge for those months, as Yamanaka Inoichi can testify all too well. Of course Minato was completely oblivious to this. He had just been rather bemused and hurt by Kushina's actions.

"Yuki No Hana restaurant does nice food!" The woman called, waggling her fingers as the team practically ran out.

Obito collapsed laughing on the street, alarming several passersby, as they tumbled out of the inn.

"Hey sensei?" Kakashi asked as a sudden thought occurred to him. "How did you survive as Jiraiya-sama's apprentice?"

As soon as Obito heard the name 'Jiraiya' he stopped laughing. He stared at Minato open mouthed. "You never said one of the le-"

Minato slammed a hand over Obito's mouth and as people stared he laughed, "Sorry about my student he's a little bit… Special…"

Though an ordinary person would have found this excuse incredibly thin, with Minato's bright smile people nodded and smiled in sympathy.

"Kakashi… The answer is that I didn't," Minato replied, shuddering slightly. "And you are far too young to ask why."

He removed his hand from Obito's mouth and said; "Now I want you all to get something to eat and we'll meet back at the inn tonight. Take your time to _look_ around town and you can tell me about it later."

Kakashi immediately understood what Minato wanted them to do.

"What about you sensei?" Rin asked.

"I'm going to get some more paper and ink from a friend," Minato smiled. "I'll see you later. Take care and remember to look out for each other!"

They watched their jonin instructor disappear into the crowd. With the sun slowly setting, the three students wandered through Koori. The townspeople were friendly enough, stall sellers nodding and smiling at the children as they packed up for the day. A cold breeze whipped down the street and Kakashi pulled his cloak tightly around him. Several lanterns that were only recently lit guttered and died in the fading light.

"Um… That's the restaurant the lady was talking about?" Rin suggested quietly and she pointed to a pleasant, well lit building a few metres away.

Common sense told Kakashi that a busy restaurant was the best place to have a conversation unheard and also a good place to pick up information. He nodded and led the way.

Yuki No Hana turned out to be extremely busy, though the owners were welcoming to the children and hurriedly ushered them into their seats. "Everyone in this town is really nice," Obito said as they wait for their food.

"Maybe because they get lots of travellers?" Rin suggested.

Kakashi however wasn't listening. Instead he was intently eavesdropping on the table behind them.

"Have you heard?" Kakashi heard a gruff voice say. "Iwa nins have occupied the Stone Country. Probably means a war against Sunagakure."

Another voice snorted, "Doubt it. I bet it'll turn out that it's actually an alliance against Konoha."

"Idiot," the other laughed. "That's ridiculous. Why Konoha?"

There was a faint slap as the man hit his friend round the head. "Because," he said and his voice dropped to such a soft level that Kakashi had to lean back against the bench to catch his next words. "Iwa will want revenge after _that _incident last year in the Grass Country. Don't you remember idiot? The one involving the White Fang."

Kakashi's hands formed fists and his eyes widened. Glancing at Rin and Obito who were still talking he quickly pulled up his hood on his cloak. Though Kakashi hated being compared with his father he knew how much he looked like him.

"Ah, everyone's heard of _him_," the other said softly. "Feel sorry for any children he had. The poor bastards wouldn't stand a chance if there were a war. They'd be victimised by every single Iwa nin."

"Too right," his friend agreed. "But I tell you what… I heard that the White Fang was a demon in battle… To manage to take down fifty jonin… Unbelievable."

"I heard it was one-hundred and with just one move," the other man interjected. "I bet if he had any children Kumo would definitely be interested."

There's another slap and the second man reprimanded, "Idiot! That's confidential remember?"

_Confidential?_ Kakashi thought as he fought to maintain his emotions. Tilting his head slightly, he peeked through the slat of the bench to see the two men behind him were actually Shimogakure nin from the Frost Country's own hidden ninja village.

Kakashi turned away and looked down at his soup that had been placed in front of him. Konoha's White Fang… He stared at his reflection in the oily surface.

Then he felt someone staring at him intently and he looked up to see Obito scrutinising him. "What?" Kakashi said, his voice coming out a lot sharper than he had intended.

"Nothing," Obito and he turned his head away so he was glaring at the wall instead. Making sure Rin was busy looking the other way; Kakashi pulled down his mask and began to drink his soup.

_Idiot,_ Kakashi thought to himself as he chewed on a piece of tofu. _Stupid, stupid, stupid idiot._

In less than two minutes he had finished his meal, though Kakashi felt slightly sick since he had eaten so fast. Yanking his mask back up he glanced at Rin and Obito who were still eating.

Obito looked up from his meal and narrowed his eyes.

"What?' Kakashi repeated as he felt a vein in his temple pulsate with annoyance.

"Why do you always wear that mask?" Obito said and next to Kakashi Rin stopped chewing.

"What kind of stupid question is that?" Kakashi retorted.

Obito shrugged and answered, "You're our teammate. Don't you think it's kind of _stupid_ you don't trust us enough to show us what you look like?"

Though he had just eaten an entire bowl of soup Kakashi's mouth turned dry.

"_Do you know why we wear masks Kakashi?" Sakumo asked as he kneeled down in front of his son._

_Kakashi stared up at his father and shook his head. All he knew was that his father wore a mask outside but not at home. Simple._

"_A ninja's appearance is deceptively valuable," Sakumo told him. "Anonymity is a weapon Kakashi. Only an idiot reveals their name to the enemy, remember that."_

_Kakashi nodded and he looked at his father with pure adoration that only a child could give their parent. To Kakashi, his father knew everything._

"_This is a lesson every child in the Hatake Clan was taught," Sakumo said. "But tradition dictates…" He then reached up and slowly peeled away his mask to reveal a warm smiling face. "We only show our faces to the ones we truly trust, love and care about."_

The memory choked Kakashi and his eyes glazed over. "A dropout like you could never understand," He said coldly.

Obito scowled and screwed his hands into fists. "Say that again," he threatened.

"P-please," Rin said softly. "Let's just try and get along…"

"Is everything alright?" The voice of the waitress caught their attention. The girl was only a few years older than them, perhaps eleven or twelve. She smiled and placed the bill on their table.

"Yes, everything's fine," Kakashi said and he let his hood fall down so it shaded his eyes. "Thank you for the meal."

After they had divided the bill up between them, Team 7 filed out of the restaurant in an uncomfortable silence. As they slowly trudged back to the inn a voice suddenly called out, "Hey you kids look like you need cheering up."

A middle-aged man stepped out from the shadows of an alley. He grinned at them and immediately Kakashi didn't trust him.

"We're fine thanks," he said curtly.

The man leant against a wall and crossed his arms. "You know," he said slowly. "The shrine is always a peaceful place. You'd be amazed how much you _find out_ if you go there… Just take a _look_ around." And with that he faded back into the shadows.

* * *

><p>Minato had finally found Ishikawa Nobu's house in a fairly run down area of the town. As soon as he approached the house, Minato immediately sensed something was wrong. Using the dimming light as cover he leant against the wall of the house and slowly slid to the front door. With just one glance Minato could see that the lock was broken. Someone had been here before.<p>

Reaching behind, Minato drew a kunai and pushed open the door. Slipping inside, he drew in a sharp intake breath. Ishikawa's house had been torn apart. Drawers ripped away, papers strewn across the floor and belongings carelessly thrown aside. Minato carefully advanced his way in, his senses stretched. Whoever had searched Ishikawa's house may return or even worse may still be here. For a moment Minato thought he heard movement and he paused, his muscles tensed. For seemingly endless seconds he leant against the wall… Listening… Listening… But all that answered was silence.

He slipped into Ishikawa's bedroom. Immediately the odour of dried blood and offal hit his nostrils. The sick cloying scent made Minato's head spin slightly but luckily experience in battle kept him strong. The sight of Ishikawa's corpse however… Minato grimaced and was glad none of his team was here to see it.

Ishikawa Nobu had been brutally tortured. Bruises marked his wrists where he had been bound by ninja wire. His eyes had been burnt out with mostly likely hot tongs and deadly precise cuts had been made all over his body, designed not to kill but to inflict pain. Turning Minato pressed his hand to the wall and closed his eyes. Focusing, he could feel the faint remnants of someone's chakra. Someone had clearly cast some kind of seal over this room so it was soundproof.

Opening his eyes, Minato's attention was drawn to Ishikawa's face. It wasn't his expression that was frozen in a contortion of agony. No what held Minato's attention was the kanji that had been brutally carved on their dead contact's forehead: _traitor_.

His body had been clearly left here as a message. Minato's blood froze. Slipping his kunai back into his pouch Minato bit his thumb. Forming the necessary seals he slammed his hand on the ground and said, "Summoning technique."

With a poof of smoke a small red toad appeared. "Woah…" The toad said as he took in Ishakawa body.

Mianto quickly drew out a small scroll from his pocket and scrawled a message. "I need you to deliver this to the Hokage," he told the toad urgently. "As fast as you can."

The toad snapped his goggles over his eyes and took the message. "I'll be there in a day," he promised and vanished.

Minato straightened. He needed to find his team fast. Their mission was compromised. They needed to abort the mission and escape Koori.

Then Minato smelt it. The smell of oil. There was the faint hiss of something being lit and Minato's eyes dilated. But it was too late. At that moment the building exploded.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: This chapter has not been beta-ed so feel free to let me know if you spotted any mistakes or character inconsistencies.**

**Rin's Personality: I have been obsessing about this and after re-watching the gaiden, which didn't particularly help seeing as Rin says about five lines or so, I decided to make Rin more like Hinata than Sakura. Even though she was a medical ninja and she liked Kakashi, she appeared to be a lot kinder than Sakura was at that age... I may be slightly biased because I'm not a great Sakura fan.**

**There is plot to this fic, I have planned it all out :) I may have forgotten to mention it will probably be pretty long though...**

**Hope that's all okay and that you enjoyed the double post!**

**20/3/12****: This chapter has been edited, thanks to the help of **Kyogre's **amazing review. Also the Stone Country is not the country that Iwagakure is in. It is the country in between the Lands of Wind and Earth - It's on the map on Naruto Wiki. Apologies for any confusion.**


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Rin looked from Kakashi and Obito as the two argued about whether to explore the shrine or not. Her neck was beginning to ache as she watched the boys hit insults at each other. Though they had moved into a secluded back alley to have a conversation, Rin was scared that with all the noise Obito was making someone might hear them.

"Bastard!" Obito shouted angrily. He jabbed a finger at Kakashi, "What gives you the right to give orders?"

"We should just go back to the inn like Sensei told us," Kakashi said, as he looked thoroughly bored. "We must follow his orders. That's rule number eight seeing as you're too stupid to have learnt that."

Obito took a step forward but before he could open his mouth, Rin intervened. "H-hey," she said uneasily as the two boys glared at each other. "Why… Why don't we just leave a message to Sensei and then explore the shrine? It's not too late… So there will be people there… W-we shouldn't leave a lead like that as Obito suggested and Sensei did tell us to look around… S-So we're not disobeying his orders really …" She trailed off and looked hopefully at the two.

Obito beamed at Rin and said, "I knew you could come up with a great idea, Rin!"

Kakashi stared at Rin for an excruciating thirty seconds in which Rin felt like she was melting. Finally he said, "I guess that isn't a bad idea… I could leave a message to Sensei."

Rin stared at the floor and blushed.

Kakashi reached into his cloak and pulled out a kunai. Rin and Obito watched with fascination as he nicked the tip of where his thumb was free from bandages, and he began to form several seals.

"Summoning technique," he said softly, hitting his palm on the ground.

Through the smoke Rin saw a small pug sitting on the ground. Despite the look of depression upon the puppy's face Rin couldn't help but think the dog was adorable.

"Yo, Kakashi," the dog said, quirking an ear. Both Obito and Rin jumped, taken aback by how deep the dog's voice was.

Rin stared at the dog. She had heard of ninja summons and a part of her was amazed that Kakashi was their age but already had a summoning contract.

"Hey Pakkun," Kakashi said, kneeling down. He reached into his cloak again and pulled out a small scroll and pencil. He began to scrawl a note. "Can you deliver this to Minato-sensei?"

Pakkun opened his mouth to reply when Obito cut in, "How _old_ are you?"

Pakkun quirked an ear and gave Obito a look that plainly told him that he was an idiot. "Younger than you think," Pakkun told him. "I matured early."

"Idiot," Kakashi muttered as he slipped the scroll into the bandage that was wrapped around Pakkun's leg.

"I'll make sure he gets it," Pakkun said, but Kakashi was too busy batting back Obito's retort to hear.

"Thank you," Rin smiled.

Pakkun nodded at her, then he glanced at Kakashi and sighed. Puzzled by the summon's actions, Rin frowned as Pakkun vanished.

"Um, shall we go?" Rin said and the two boys nodded.

Koori's shrine was about a fifteen-minute walk up countless of stairs in the mountains above the town. As team walked the stone steps, Rin was relieved to see a small groups of people trickling their way back to town.

The lanterns lining the path swayed softly and in the growing cold Rin could feel the tip of her nose turning numb. Their breath rose up before them, mixing and crystallising.

When they finally reached the top, two snarling stone lions greeted them at the shrine's gate. Whispers flew through the trees and in the cold breeze Rin saw the omikuji tied the branches rustle in the wind.

It was clear that the remaining townspeople had left and the team advanced their way into the deserted shrine.

"We should leave," Kakashi said softly from behind Rin. "I don't like this."

Silently, Rin agreed. The shrine was only a small local one, however with just the moonlight bouncing off the pavestones, the feeling the place gave her set Rin's senses on alert. She glanced around and every shadow seemed to leer at her. Gulping, Rin forced herself to remain calm. She was a Konoha ninja. A ninja should never be afraid. They should at least look around for anything suspicious before they left.

With this thought in her head she walked to her left, past the stands of ema. Wandering over, Rin began to look at the hundreds of small wooden plagues; prayers for love, prosperity and luck had been written by the townspeople and even travellers.

Then… Something odd caught her eye. On one of the wooden plaques someone had drawn an eight-tailed ox. Leaning over, Rin stood on her tiptoes and examined the drawing. The picture was amazingly intricate. The ox stood surrounded by mountains, snorting with its eight tails raised. Clouds shrouded part of the ox's tails and beneath its stamping feet; Rin could make out tiny ninjas surrounding the monster. Their hands raised, as if they were attempting some kind of huge technique on it…

Puzzled, Rin stared at the ema. Then she noticed something even stranger. The bottom right corner had a small chip in it. Knowing that the shrine wouldn't have a sold a damaged plaque to someone, Rin squinted. At a closer examination it appeared that it wasn't a chip… Instead someone had carved something, but with only the moon as her source of light, Rin couldn't tell what it was supposed to be.

"Kakashi-kun. Obito!" Rin called. "I… I think I've found something."

But all that answered her was silence.

Frowning, Rin opened her mouth again when she froze as something sharp was pressed into her back.

"Clever girl," a voice said softly. "I didn't think a genin would be able to guess where Ishikawa had hidden the information."

Rin's eyes widened and her mouth turned dry. Despite the cold her palms began to sweat with fear.

"Now," the person behind her leant forwards, their breath tickling her ear. "If you'd kindly give us the ema…"

The fact that Rin had no idea what was going on behind terrified her. It caused her knees to shake. But despite this, Rin swallowed her fear. Steeling herself Rin said, "What… What happens if I don't?"

The person jabbed the sharp object and Rin winced as she felt something warm trickle down her back. "I think you know the answer," the person said lazily.

"Don't give it to her Rin!" She heard Obito yelled. There was a sharp whack and Obito was silenced.

"Oh, and son of the White Fang," the woman casually threw back. "Don't bother to try and perform a technique. Otherwise both of your teammates will be killed."

Biting her lip, Rin stood on her tiptoes and untied the ribbon holding the ema. Inside her mind, she silently apologised to the shrine's god. "Now turn around," the woman instructed and she released the pressure from Rin's back.

Slowly Rin turned around and gasped. The mysterious attacker was in fact the landlady who had outrageously flirted with sensei earlier.

However, this time she was dressed in full ninja uniform. Rin glanced up at her forehead protector and immediately recognised the symbol: Kumogakure. The look upon their pseudo-landlady's face was a dangerous one and Rin took an involuntary step back.

With an easy sweep, the Kumo nin swiped the ema from Rin's hand and slipped it into the front pocket of her flak jacket. "Good girl," the woman smirked.

Anxiously, Rin glanced round the woman to see how her two teammates were doing. Another Kumo nin was standing behind Obito several metres away, with a kunai pressed to his jugular. Glancing to the right, Rin saw Kakashi stand helplessly as he looked at his two teammates.

"Captain," the other Kumo nin said. A mask a lot like Kakashi's concealed their face and their head was covered by a Kumo bandanna. "This boy looks like an Uchiha."

The Kumo captain studied Obito with a bored expression and answered, "Every child who has black hair and dark eyes from Konoha looks like an Uchiha. However… After I kill this girl I'll see if he possesses the sharingan. Restrain our target and remember _don't _underestimate him."

The woman's subordinate nodded, released Obito and charged at Kakashi. Rin heard the clang of metal as Kakashi drew the chakra sabre, but the Kumo nin's speed took him by surprise. She watched, helplessly, as Kakashi was pushed back into the woods until they disappeared from sight.

The Kumo captain suddenly grabbed Rin by the scalp and pressed a kunai to her throat. "You know too much," She whispered as Rin began to tremble.

Rin looked at Obito who was watching the scene with a stunned expression. In the moonlight she could see tears of terror pooling inside his goggles.

"Pathetic," the woman sneered.

Rin closed her eyes. This was it… She hadn't even told Kakashi that she-

"Fire style: Great fireball technique!"

Rin's eyes flashed open to see a small jet of fire shoot across the courtyard. Taken by surprise the Kumo nin released Rin and leapt away.

"Obito," Rin breathed with relief. Obito stood with renewed determination. His goggles propped up on his forehead, the tears rubbed away. He glared at their enemy, though his shaking hands gave away his fear.

"The Uchiha clan are known for their fire techniques," the Kumo nin mused. "Though you're useless without the sharingan."

_Move!_ Rin thought to herself and with adrenaline pumping through her, she reached back into her weapons pouch and hurled a handful of shruiken at the woman.

The Kumo nin easily parried the shruiken with a kunai but taking advantage, Obito ran forwards with a war cry. Using her teammate as a distraction, Rin began to frantically weave seals and she whispered, "Demonic illusion: Freezing technique."

It was an extremely simple illusion that Minato had taught her after the bell test, but relief swept over Rin as the Kumo nin froze with her eyes glazed over. Knowing the illusion wouldn't last long, Rin ran towards Obito who had been knocked onto the ground.

"Hurry!" Rin, said helping him up. "W-we have to run."

"What about the ema?" Obito asked.

"I've memorised it…" Rin said, anxiously glancing at the woman who was still standing still. "We need to find K-Kakashi-kun and sensei."

Obito nodded and they ran towards the woods where Kakashi and the other Kumo nin had disappeared. Suddenly, mirthless laughter stopped them in their tracks. The woman appeared from behind a tree.

Her eyes dilating, Rin glanced behind them to see a pile of wood on the floor.

"Pathetic," the woman said. "You actually thought such a low rank technique would work on a jonin?"

"This will!" Obito cried and he quickly formed some seals. "Fire style: Great fire ball technique!"

This time the stream of fire scorched the ground and singed the omikuji hanging from the trees. Yet again, Rin silently apologised to the shrine's god.

From the smoke, the Kumo captain stepped out and she said, "This is a real technique. Earth style: Earth suction technique!"

Rin suddenly found that she couldn't move her feet. Glancing down, Rin saw with horror that the floor beneath them had transformed into liquid sludge. She attempted to wrench her feet in vain, but the floor only pulled harder.

The Kumo jonin watched with an icy expression as Rin and Obito slowly sunk into the ground. With the liquid at her knees, Rin watched as Obito began to hurl shruikens at the ninja.

She effortlessly dodged them and continued to watch the two genin. Rin bit her lip. It was clear that the Kumo nin was no amateur. She would stay until her job was done, leaving no chance for Rin and Obito to make an attempt to escape from the technique.

Rin tried to focus her chakra to her feet but to no avail. Next to her, Obito said, "Damn it… Damn it!"

"Definitely not an Uchiha," the Kumo nin decided as she surveyed the sinking genin. "And you would have used your sharingan by now if you were."

Rin glanced at Obito who began to shake. She opened her mouth to comfort him when suddenly Obito shouted, "Damn it! My name is Uchiha Obito and when I get my sharingan I will surpass you and every other stupid ninja who laughs at me."

The woman started to laugh, "So you really are an Uchiha? Pathetic. An Uchiha without his sharingan is like a bird with clipped wings. Kumogakure has no use for a runt like you."

She sighed and continued, "I've changed my mind. I think I'll-"

But Rin and Obito never got to hear the end her sentence because at that moment there was a yellow flash and the Kumo nin collapsed, unconscious onto the ground.

Slowly the technique began to reverse, and Obito and Rin found themselves standing on solid ground. They looked up open mouthed, as Minato grinned back at them.

"Sorry I was late I err… Was dealing with some other stuff," Minato laughed awkwardly and he rubbed the back of his head. "You aren't hurt are you?"

Rin and Obito shook their heads.

"Ruined the moment sensei," Obito said, but he relief on his face was clear.

Rin giggled shakily, at least Obito's excuses were creative.

Minato's face turned into a serious one and he scanned the shrine. He then asked, "Where's Kakashi?"

* * *

><p>Kakashi scanned his surroundings, his heart pounding. The Kumo subordinate had been relentless, their flashing movements almost unreadable as Kakashi had frantically parried their attacks.<p>

Now, all that met his ears was silence. The Kumo nin had mysteriously vanished after he had used his beast running technique. Kakashi cast his eyes past the charred tree, his vision strained. He needed to get back to Obito and Rin.

Kakashi's breathing sounded unnaturally loud and even the moonlight filling the clearing appeared abnormally bright. Something about the whole scene seemed terribly odd.

Then… Kakashi saw it. Thick fog began to slither from the tree roots, rolling until it surrounded Kakashi's feet. His grip tightened around the White Fang as Kakashi spotted a dark figure stumbling towards him. With his mouth dry, Kakashi found himself inexplicably rooted to the spot and as the person came closer, his blood froze.

"Kakashi…" Sakumo whispered with his hand outstretched towards his son. He suddenly coughed, spattering Kakashi's face with blood.

For a long moment Kakashi stared at his father with longing until rational thought took over. "I'm sorry Dad," Kakashi whispered. He suddenly reversed the chakra sabre and slammed it into his thigh.

Kakashi groaned in pain, as the fog lifted and Sakumo vanished.

"Impressive," a soft voice whispered from the trees. "You truly are the White Fang's son…"

Despite Kakashi's young age, he had always done his best to control his emotions. But this time, he felt a rage that he had never experienced before. No one had the right to taint his father's memory. No one. He wrenched out the chakra sabre with a cry of agony and sheathed the blade.

The Kumo nin leapt from the shadows but Kakashi was ready. His hands blurred as he began to weave seals and he cried, "Lightning style: Beast running technique!"

Screaming electricity leapt from Kakashi's palms and the lightning wolf tore at the Kumo nin. The enemy ninja dove to the side as Kakashi's technique obliterated another tree.

Not wasting a moment, Kakashi threw an exploding tag at the Kumo nin. Surprised, they barely had time to escape the blast when Kakashi raced through the smoke and swung a blinding uppercut at the enemy's chest.

The Kumo nin bent backwards to avoid the blow but the momentum caused Kakashi to fall forwards. His hand clawed for something to hold onto. It connected with the Kumo nin's face and the sound of torn fabric was wrung through the air.

Too fuelled with adrenaline to find out whom his opponent was, Kakashi swept to his feet and decided to execute a move that he had been attempting to master for months.

Kakashi hurled to chakra sabre high into the air and the Kumo nin involuntarily glanced upwards at the mesmorising, white spinning blade. Then, they dragged their gaze away and leapt at Kakashi to escape the falling blade.

Kakashi appeared to be unprepared because this time the Kumo nin's kunai hit him in the centre of his chest. The Kumo nin's eyes widened. Kakashi vanished and a pile of wood clattered onto the ground.

From behind to Kumo ninja, the real Kakashi's hand snaked out and caught the White Fang by the hilt. He aimed a blow to the Kumo nin's back, intending to incapacitate and not kill. But what he hadn't expected was for the enemy ninja to spin around at that moment with a kunai in hand.

A sharp gasp escaped Kakashi's lips and pain flooded through him. He stared at the kunai embedded in his shoulder. Then, as he jerked his head he saw that the chakra sabre was rammed home into the Kumo nin's chest.

Finally, Kakashi looked up at his opponent's face and his eyes widened. With her eyes stunned and glassy, Kakashi recognised who his assailant was. It was waitress who had served them at the restaurant. For several agonising seconds they stared at each other.

"The White Fang's son indeed…" The girl breathed and a trail of blood dribbled down her chin.

Simultaneously they pulled away from each other with a sickening squelch.

Kakashi groaned and he stumbled forward, clutching the wound in his shoulder. The girl was far worse off, as her legs collapsed and her knees hit the ground. Laboured breathing was the only sound that filled the clearing; even the trees had fallen silent. The girl began to weave some seals.

"Wait!" Kakashi said, but it was too late. Using the body flicker technique, the girl vanished.

It seemed all the adrenaline from earlier had drained away, and exhaustion made Kakashi's eyes blur. He staggered forwards and stared at the blood stained chakra blade on the ground.

Was this what it was like to be a ninja? They had never taught this in academy so Kakashi felt almost cheated. Wasn't… Rule number… twenty-five 'a ninja must never show their emotions'? Then why did he feel this way? Why did he feel so guilty?

He fell forwards but Kakashi didn't hit the ground. Instead, a pair of arms caught him.

"It's ok Kakashi," a soft, familiar voice said. "We're here now…"

"Kakashi!" He heard a rather loud and annoying voice call.

"Kakashi-kun…" Another voice whispered.

As Kakashi's vision began to slide away he felt something strange rise up in his chest.

_My team, _Kakashi thought drowsily. _They… They actually came back for me…_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: ****I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I actually did quite a bit of research around Shinto shrines before I wrote this because I've never been to Japan, and I like to keep things fairly accurate. Originally I was also intending to kill off the Kumo ninja but I didn't want this story to turn too dark, so I left it ambiguous. I hope that's ok.**

Ema - **A wooden plate where you write a prayer/wish and leave it at the shrine.**

Omikuji - **These are fortune telling slips with either good or bad fortunes. If you receive a bad fortune it's custom to tie it onto a tree branch or on a metal wire in the shrine.**

**Just google 'ema shrine' or 'omikuji shrine' if you want to know what they look like... Those of you who already knew this please tell me if anything was inaccurate and I will do my best to correct it.**

**This is also un-betaed and I am trying my best to spot any errors, but let my know if you do find any. As always, constructive criticism is appreciated and thank you for reading so far!**


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Team 7 returned to Konoha late in the night, both physically and emotionally exhausted. Minato had pushed his team hard in the effort to return to the Land of Fire. On the hurried journey home instead walking on roads they had cut through mountain passes and forests. Minato was a cautious man and this was just in case any Kumo ninjas were pursuing them, as after all Minato had stolen the ema from the Kumo jonin.

Minato had never been gladder to see the gates of Konoha. After ensuring his team were safely at home, he headed straight to the Hokage tower.

"This is troubling news indeed," the Third said as he examined the ema with an eyepiece, after Minato had relayed the events to him.

Minato felt rather guilty that the Hokage had been dragged out of bed, after all the Third was not a young man and-

"Minato," the Hokage said interrupting his thoughts. "I can see that you're worrying. Please I would like your opinion."

"It's clear that Kumogakure has obviously created a… jinchuriki," Minato said slowly. The word 'jinchuriki' felt heavy and tasted foul in Minato's mouth. He couldn't understand how someone could trap a monster inside another human being. It was inhumane.

The tailed-beasts were mysterious things bordering on legend. Though it was common knowledge that Suna possessed the Ichibi and Iwa possessed two other tailed-beasts, the Kyubi hadn't been sighted since the time of the First Hokage. Some questioned whether it existed at all. Minato was glad Konoha didn't possess a tailed-beast. No one deserved the fate of becoming a jinchuriki. He felt a wave of pity towards Kumo's new host and he wondered if it was even possible for someone to remain human when they had a monster sealed inside them.

"Kumo is gathering strength," Minato continued. "It's obvious that they're preparing for something… Though Kumo has always had a history of being a militant nation."

"The Third Raikage does hold the belief of maintaining a strong village," the Third sighed. "However what is more worrying is that they attempted to kidnap Kakashi."

Minato recalled the horrible night a few days ago when his team was attacked. He closed his eyes briefly as he remembered finding Kakashi covered in blood. What worried him was that Kakashi refused to show that he had been affected by the fact that he may have killed someone. Kakashi had never been one for showing much emotion but Minato knew the boy was deeply disturbed by his father's death. His obsession with training was an obvious sign. As soon as Minato had seen Kakashi's bandaged hands he knew that his student had pushed himself over the limit again during training.

Minato bit his lip. It was painful to watch Kakashi attempting to live up to his status as the White Fang's son.

"Prodigies like Kakashi only occur once in a generation," the Hokage said. "It takes a normal person years to reach where Kakashi is at now. Who knows where he'll be in say… Ten years time? He's also still a child and therefore malleable, so Kumo could mould him to their liking."

Minato had to suppress a snort when he heard the word 'malleable'. Kakashi was one of the most stubborn people he had ever met, Kushina being the top of that list.

"I remember we were worried at one point that _you _would be kidnapped due to your ability," the Hokage added and his stare caused Minato gaze at the floor. He had never been comfortable with his status as a prodigy. "And of course Kakashi is Sakumo's son. Not only would he have his father's techniques but also it would be a symbol for other nations to fear."

Minato sighed. It didn't seem right that a ten-year-old boy had so much weight upon his shoulders.

"It was only Rin who saw the ema?" The Third asked as he removed the eyepiece and leaned back in his chair.

Minato nodded and added, "She hasn't asked about it either as I assume she knows that I couldn't tell her anymore."

"Smart girl," the Hokage smiled.

Minato felt a twinge of pride. In the short time Team 7 had been together they had come a long way since the bell test.

"Your team can take as much time off as they like to recover," the Hokage said. "Also for now I shall consult the advisors about Kakashi's situation. Until we come to a decision ensure either you or Kushina are with him."

Before Minato could his mouth to reply, a sudden puff of smoke filled the room and a ninja appeared in the office.

"Hokage-sama!" Said an all too familiar voice.

The Hokage sighed. As the smoke cleared a tall young man, with his blonde hair thrown back into a short ponytail, was revealed.

"Sorry about the late hour Hokage-sama but I heard you were awake so I thought I'd report in," the jonin said. He then spotted Minato and grinned, "Minato! I haven't seen you in ages."

"It's been a while Inoichi," Minato smiled, though he felt conscious of the Hokage's growing exasperation.

The Third cleared his throat loudly, "Successful mission Inoichi?"

Inoichi nodded, "Yep, the whole team made it back ok and we've recovered the information." He glanced at Minato but the Third nodded for him to go on. "It seems that though Iwa is occupying the Stone Country at the moment they haven't dared to invade the Wind Country's borders. Suna is too strong with their Kazekage at the moment."

"That's good news," the Hokage said looking relieved. "For now I shall consult the advisors and clan heads. Then a jonin meeting shall be called to inform you of our decision."

"Thank you Hokage-sama," Minato and Inoichi said in unison.

The Third nodded in acknowledgement and then gave them a wave of dismissal. As Minato and Inoichi filed out of the office Inoichi said, "I heard that you're a jonin instructor now, isn't boring doing D-rank missions all day?"

Despite how tired he felt Minato laughed, "I find it rewarding actually." It was true. Though most jonin instructors usually lazed around while their team was litter picking or rescuing cats Minato liked to take part in the missions. After all he had to set a good example for his students.

Inoichi rolled his eyes, "You were always a weird one, especially back in academy days."

Minato laughed awkwardly and rumpled his hair. It was true that Minato spent a lot of time thinking and analysing things even as a child. Unfortunately it had always given him the appearance of being rather dazed and dreamy. Definitely not what you'd expect of a ninja, which was why his instructors' jaws had always dropped every time he scored top marks.

"We'll have to get a drink sometime," Inoichi says as they walk out of the Hokage tower and down the stone steps. "Shikaku, Choza and I will probably be going out tomorrow. Want to come? There are some seriously hot girls I saw in this bar…"

In all honesty Minato had been intending to spend the reading a book and also possibly popping in to visit Kushina. After all he had to talk to her about Kakashi… At least that's the reason he kept telling himself anyway.

Inoichi caught Minato's expression and grinned, "Don't tell me you're still pining after Habanero?"

Minato bristled slightly at Kushina's academy nickname, "her name is Kushina. You're the only one who still calls her that Inoichi."

Inoichi's grin widened and he laughed, "I knew it! Come on Minato you're not _ten_ anymore. Just ask her out and then-"

"Inoichi," Minato cut in, as he turned red. He had heard this speech too many times before.

"Well you better hurry up," Inoichi warned. Then a dreamy look crossed his face. "Kushina-chan's got a great body now… You'll be up against a lot of competition. Better get in there or I will."

Minato gave an uncharacteristic grunt. Maybe it was better if Inoichi called Kushina, Habanero after all.

* * *

><p><em> So close now… Kakashi could almost taste it. He flew through the trees, his feet barely touching the branches. All Kakashi could hear was the impossibly loud beating of his heart.<em>

_ Then he heard it. The clash of metal and the cries of enemy ninja dying. Suddenly Kakashi's foot snagged on a branch and he was sent tumbling to the earth._

_ Breathing hard, Kakashi lay on his stomach and through the trees there was a bright flash of light. So close…_

_ "Dad!" Kakashi yelled. "I'm coming! Hang on!"_

_ He staggered up, tripping on a tree root but he stumbled on. Kakashi sprinted until the trees washed away and the sky was tainted a crimson red._

_ Kakashi found himself kneeling on the ground with the white chakra sabre in his hand. The blade was broken, the one shining metal had dulled and rusted away. And his hands… They were drenched in blood._

_ "K-Kakashi…" A voice croaked. The young boy looked up and he felt like he had swallowed a mouthful of ash._

_ "Dad," Kakashi said. He crawled over to Sakumo who was kneeling only a metre away from him._

_ Sakumo pulled his son into a bear hug and Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief. He was safe. No longer alone…_

_ Then Kakashi felt something warm and wet begin to soak into his shirt. His eyes dilated as he realised his father had hundreds of stab wounds that punctured his body._

_ "Sorry Kakashi," Sakumo breathed._

_ Panic, pure panic seized Kakashi. He gripped his father so hard it bruised his skin. "Please don't go," he begged. "Don't go. Please, don't leave me along again!"_

_ Sakumo's last breath rattled and suddenly all Kakashi was clutching was thin air. His eyes widened and the lost weight caused him to topple forwards._

_ "Damn it," Kakashi cried and he tore out chunks of grass. "Damn it!"_

_ Then the caw of a crow alerted Kakashi and he tilted his head to the side as his surroundings transformed once more. He realised with a jolt that he was at the centre of a battlefield; surrounded by hundreds of dead Konoha ninja as the crows pecked at their flesh._

_ Kakashi began to scream._

Kakashi woke with a cry of pain and clutched the itching wound in his shoulder. The nightmare… It had been so vivid that he could still smell the scent of his father.

His skin felt hot and feverish but despite his heightened temperature Kakashi began to shiver. Kakashi ran a hand down his mask-free face and hauled himself out of bed. Grabbing the sheathed White Fang on the bedside table, he limped out of his room.

He's never normally this paranoid, but tonight… The dream had deeply disturbed Kakashi. He made it into the kitchen and ran himself a glass of water.

Kakashi's hands started to shake uncontrollably and as he took a sip the glass slipped from his hand and smashed into the sink. He clutched the counter-top as he stared at the shattered pieces.

_So much blood,_ Kakashi thought as the image of the girl haunted him. _Did Dad look like that when he died?_

"Rule number twenty-five a ninja must kill their emotions," Kakashi whispered as he struggled to maintain rational thoughts. But the words sounded hollow to his ears. The ninja code had always been hard to swallow ever since his father died.

Kakashi staggered back down the hall but this time he found his feet didn't carry him to his bedroom. No, instead they led him to a closed door.

When Kakashi was younger, despite his genius status he still went to his father in the middle of the night when he had a nightmare; just like any other child.

Sakumo never seemed to mind. In fact he had always sounded happy to see his son, despite the hour. It had turned into a routine. Kakashi would appear in Sakumo's room and his father would give him a sleepy smile. He would always slip into the bed next to Sakumo.

"I had a nightmare… Dad…" That's what Kakashi used to whisper.

To which point Sakumo would pull Kakashi into a hug and breathe back, "I know Kakashi… Tell me all about it."

But Kakashi never managed to tell Sakumo about his nightmares. About midway in his first sentence he would always slip into a peaceful sleep.

Kakashi gripped the door handle and the metal felt reassuringly cold beneath his palm. The broken spider web clung to his fingertip, the delicate lace refusing to let go. Kakashi hadn't opened this door for nearly two years. Slowly, he twisted the knob and cracked the door open. Instantly, the musty smell of dust hit his senses. But the all too familiar shadows invited Kakashi in.

As the door closed he instantly felt as if he had stepped inside a sanctuary. Through the slatted blinds moonlight filtered into the room and for a moment Kakashi pretended he had been transported back in time. His feet ghosted across the dust-coated floorboards and Kakashi crept onto the still creased bed. He slipped under the sheets and buried his face into the pillow. He could still smell it; the faded scent of his father.

Screwing his eyes shut Kakashi murmured, "I had a nightmare… Dad…"

There was no reply. No sleepy smile, hug or even the familiar weight beside him. Just silence.

* * *

><p>Kushina strolled into the Hatake compound the following morning. Sakumo-sensei's house was near the outskirts of the village. It was rather small, but with a large yard at the front for training. Kushina passed some dead flowers and her smile faded. She gazed at the scarecrow in the middle of the yard that Kakashi regularly used for training. The straw stuffing littered the floor and its' clothes were ripped from various slashes and cuts. Idly she wondered if she had any old clothes to donate for the scarecrow.<p>

After a rather tired Minato had appeared at her door around eight this morning and had told her everything that had happened on Team 7's latest mission, Kushina had immediately set off to Kakashi's house; after a quick detour to the grocery store of course.

Kushina scowled as she clutched the plastic carrier bag. Although Kakashi was a child prodigy, he was just that. A child.

When sensei had died his will clearly stated that Kakashi was allowed to choose who he was going to stay with. The problem was Kakashi hadn't wanted to stay with anyone. Minato and Kushina had fretted over him together, knowing how unhealthy it was for him to stay in the house alone. But Kakashi had insisted. All Minato and Kushina could do was alternate between staying with him for months after Sakumo's death. Until Kakashi told them he was fine.

Though, despite the boy's protests, Kushina couldn't help but spoil him rotten by cooking his favourite meals and treating him. She dropped by everyday when they were both in the village and Kushina always helped him train.

Kakashi was like a younger brother to her. He was all she had left of Sakumo-sensei, so child prodigy or not Kushina had vowed to care and protect Kakashi.

"Kakashi," Kushina called as she unlocked the front door with her spare key. She slipped her sandals off and frowning, as there's no reply. "Kakashi? I brought you breakfast."

She padded into the kitchen, placing the bag on the table. Then Kushina spotted the broken glass in the sink. She narrowed her eyes and crept down the hall. Suddenly she stopped.

Kakashi's bedroom door was wide open. The bed uncharacteristically unmade. Sensing that something was definitely wrong, Kushina drew a kunai and advanced down the hall. Then, she stopped as something caught her eye.

The cobwebs around Sakumo-sensei's were broken. Leaning against the door, Kushina pressed her ear against the wood and slowly opened it.

A sigh of relief escaped her and Kushina replaced the kunai. The feeling of fear was replaced by one of the utmost sadness and Kushina's chest ached.

Lying curled up in his father's bed was Kakashi, fast asleep as he cuddled the White Fang. Kushina smiled as she stared at his unmasked face. Though people often compared Kakashi's appearance to Sakumo's Kushina had always thought they were wrong. With his mask down, Kakashi was nothing but the image of his mother. The same wonderfully striking features of the unusual jawline, angular features and the same kind smile.

As she sat down next to Kakashi a cloud of dust rose and Kushina wriggled her nose. She smiled and leaned over Kakashi whispering, "May the tides of Whirlpool bring you sweet dreams."

The spell was broken. Kakashi's eyes slowly rolled open and he squinted against the sunlight bathing the room. He suddenly sat up and Kushina saw a glint of panic fill his eyes.

"It's fine," Kushina soothed. "I promise I won't tell anyone. Not even Minato."

Kakashi began to relax and he rubbed sleep from his eyes. "But you know…" Kushina added. "It's ok to feel and show your emotions Kakashi. It's not a sign of weakness. It's a part of being human."

Unconsciously she held a hand to her stomach. Kushina then brightened and stood up. "Come on! If you get out of bed fast enough I'll make you your favourite for breakfast!" She grinned.

"My favourite?" Kakashi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Miso soup with those slimy aubergines you love," Kushina shuddered. "God knows why you like them. A normal kid hates vegetables but you have to like the weirdest one of them all."

"Miso soup with aubergines for breakfast?" Kakashi said and Kushina could see a ghost of smile creeping upon his lips.

"Why not?" Kushina laughed. "I had ramen this morning."

Kakashi sighed but he slid out of bed. Kushina beamed at him and began to walk towards the kitchen when Kakashi's voice stopped her. "Kushina?" He called.

She turned to look at Kakashi who was standing awkwardly in the hall. He opened his mouth then closed it again as if deciding against it. Kushina watched his brow knit into a frown as Kakashi began an internal debate inside his head.

Putting Kakashi out of his misery Kushina walked over and ruffled his hair. "C'mon," She smiled. "I'll teach you how to make icky aubergine soup."

Slowly, Kakashi offered her a small tentative smile. Kushina's heart leapt because for the few precious seconds it lasted, Kakashi finally looked like a child.

* * *

><p>"Obi-nii!" As soon as Obito heard Shisui's yell a small force hit him in the stomach, momentarily winding him.<p>

"Shisui," Obito wheezed as Shisui gripped him in a surprisingly strong hug.

"Race you to Aunt Mikoto's house!" Shisui shouted and he tore down the main street in the Uchiha compound.

Obito grinned and raced after him. As usual Obito let Shisui lead until the very last moment when he cut in front of his little cousin.

"Nice try," Obito grinned as Shisui scowled.

"You wait," Shisui said. "One day I'll beat you!"

Obito didn't doubt that and the thought depressed him slightly. For the entire journey home the woman's words had haunted him: _"An Uchiha without his sharingan is like a bird with clipped wings."_

Obito knew he shouldn't let her insult get to him yet… He could feel the pressure grinding him into the ground.

Suddenly Aunt Mikoto's door slid open and their favourite aunt smiled down at them, "Hello Obito-kun, Shisui kun. Come in, I'm just preparing lunch at the moment."

They pulled off their sandals and followed her into the house. "Fugaku's in a meeting at the moment," Mikoto called from the kitchen. "But Itachi is in the main room, would you watch him for me?"

"Sure," Obito replied. He headed over to the room and was amazed to find that Shisui was already there, sitting in the centre of the room playing with Itachi.

"How…?" Obito spluttered.

"No, at least say mama. You can't say maa," Obito heard Shisui tell Mikoto's son very seriously, as he sat cross-legged in front of Itachi. The baby gurgled happily and he picked up one of the puzzle blocks he had been playing with earlier.

Obito grinned and joined them. "I thought you hated him?" He muttered to Shisui.

Shisui gave Obito a very offended look, "Ssshh Obi-nii. He might hear you." He then gave Obito a grudging look and added, "He's ok… I've had no one else to play with."

Obito felt a twinge of guilt and watched as Itachi fumbled to slide one of the blocks into place. Like all babies Itachi had soft downy hair and a round chubby face. Though not many four-month olds could attempt a puzzle like this.

"No Itachi silly, you can't chew on it!" Shisui groaned as he took the triangle shaped block from Itachi's mouth. "Eurk!"

Obito laughed and Itachi chuckled, clapping his tiny hands. Shisui gave Obito a rather evil grin and wiped his drool-covered fingers on his cousin's shoulder.

"Shisui!" Obito groaned as Shisui burst into laughter.

Then Obito caught an odd hissing noise from Itachi. Shisui frowned and Itachi hissed again. "That's not a word," Shisui said in an all too superior voice.

"Ssshh," Itachi said.

Then it dawned on Obito what Itachi was trying to say. "Shisui," Obito said. "I think he's trying to say your name."

Shisui stared at Obito open mouthed. He then smiled at the baby and said, "Say Shisui Itachi! Shisui!"

"Sshh," Itachi hissed and he stared up with his large dark eyes.

"Shisui, Shisui," the other boy repeated, staring at Itachi with determination.

"Hey Itachi say Obito. Ob-i-to," Obito sounded with a grin.

Itachi took one look at Obito and burst into tears. Evidently it was all too much for him. "Obito!" Shisui cried over Itachi's howls. "Look what you did!"

"Ah don't cry Itachi," Obito panicked. The last thing he needed was to upset Uncle Fugaku's beloved son.

"Oh my, he must be tired," a soft voice said. Mikoto entered the room, walked over and scooped up Itachi. "Don't cry," She cooed. "Sshh, don't cry Itachi. Mummy's here now, so don't cry."

Itachi's cries gradually began to subside as Mikoto gently rubbed his back with circular motions. "Lunch is ready," She whispered to Obito and Shisui.

The two boys nodded and tiptoed into the next room. "You're rubbish with babies Obi-nii," Shisui said in his typically blunt way, as they sat at the table.

Obito couldn't help but agree. There was a reason Team 7 had not been assigned to any babysitting tasks. Though Rin would probably be a natural and Sensei did appear to be the paternal type, Obito was rubbish when it came to babies. Not to mention he had extreme difficulty imagining Kakashi with anyone under the age of five.

"Wanna helpf me ta-n?" Shisui said, his cheeks bulging with rice.

Obito sniggered at Shisui, who swallowed and repeated, "Want to help me train?"

Briefly Obito thought of Rin. Early this morning while on his way to the training grounds Obito had decided to take the scenic route which involved walking past Rin's house. He was anxious to know if she was ok after the mission. When he had knocked on the door however, her mum had informed him that Rin was at the library to do some reading. Seeing as Obito hated libraries with their stuffy air, dusty books and even dustier librarians he decided against trying to find her.

Obito beamed at his little cousin and answered, "Course I will Shisui!"

_I'll find Rin tomorrow, _he decided. Then grudgingly thought, _maybe Kakashi too. He'll be good to train with._

Obito challenged his bowl of rice with a determined glare. He will achieve his sharingan and when he does he'll prove everyone wrong and beat Kakashi.

* * *

><p>Rin sat in a quiet corner of the library, pouring over the book in front of her on the table.<p>

_The Sage of the Six Paths was a legendary, though shadowy figure. Historians argue whether he really did exist, and it is similarly debated as to whom this legend was based on. The general assumption is that the Sage was merely a priest of humble origins, who sought to create peace in the midst of war. Of course one man cannot turn the tide of war. Multiple factors such as politics, military aspects and economics affect the outcome. Thus it is historically naïve to assume that this man was the 'Saviour of this World' as the romantics suggest._

Rin frowned as she read the introduction. Legends and myths did seem to be stories of mortal men blown hideously out of proportion. However… Rin believed there was always a small seed that sowed a legend. She flicked a couple of chapters ahead and began to read:

_Founder of the ninja arts, vanquisher of the Jubi, possessor of the rinnegan and the world's first jinchuriki are some of the wild claims that surround the Sage._

"Jubi?" Rin muttered and she recalled the eight-tailed ox drawn on the ema. Skipping past the chapter titled, _The rinnegan: The ultimate eye or a genetic mutation? _Rin began to skim through the chapter about the Jubi.

_The Jubi was the supposed primordial demon that used to haunt this world. The Sage defeated the beast in a glorious battle and he then magically divided it into nine different chakra monsters that are scattered around the globe. Though stories about the tailed beasts have recurred throughout history, the Jubi that they supposedly originated from is, of course, a myth. A mere story told to frighten children._

"Nine… Tailed-beasts?" Rin whispered her eyes wide. She glanced around to see if anyone was around but the library was empty. The rest of the chapter was no use whatsoever as it went on to discredit the tailed-beasts existence as natural disaster or ninja battles.

She sighed and leant back in her chair. Rin pictured the ema and frowned. Clearly whatever message the drawing conveyed it had not been for her eyes.

Rin couldn't help but notice that this was the only book in the library with reference to the tailed-beasts.

Sliding her chair back, Rin stood and placed the extremely opinionated history book back on its shelf. Thanking the librarian she headed out of the library and into the afternoon sunshine.

Her thoughts turned to her team and Rin sighed. She remembered the tears in Obito's eyes and Kakashi's glazed ones. Rin had known the road to being as great as Tsunade-sama would be a difficult one, but she hadn't realised it would be this hard.

Rin stopped on the bottom step of the library entrance and stared up into the cloudless sky. She knew that her problem was that she lacked any offensive techniques. To be strong she would have to cast away her pacifism and train hard.

_"My name is Uchiha Obito and when I get my sharingan I will surpass you and every other stupid ninja who laughs at me!"_

Obito never ceased to amaze her and she wished that she could be as half as brave as he was.

A slow smile tugged at Rin's lips and suddenly a whole new world of possibilities was opened up in the sky.

* * *

><p>"Let the meeting commence!" A clear voice called, bringing the jonin gathered in the room to a silence.<p>

To the side Minato leant against the wall, carefully studying the people present. Among the jonin the clan leaders stood, their faces serious. From across the room Shikaku nodded at Minato.

During the Second ninja world war many good men and women had died. So Minato's old classmates Shikaku, Choza and Tsume had taken up their positions as clan heads. The Hyuga elders had already agreed that Hiashi was ready to assume his position as head of the main branch. Minato could see him near the front with his twin brother, Hizashi.

Glancing back at Shikaku, Minato spotted Choza and Inoichi beside him. The weight of responsibility had forced Inoichi's old teammates to grow up fast. Recalling the conversation he had with the Yamanaka heir last night Minato suppressed a smile. Inoichi still had a lot of growing up to do before he could take up his father's position as head of the clan.

He then glanced at Kushina who was a couple of metres away to the left. For a moment Minato stared at her bright hair that was thrown back into a messy bun. He smiled as he imagined releasing it into a beautiful shiny red waterfall and running his hand through-

Minato mentally slapped himself.

"Many of you are aware of Iwa's occupation of the Stone Country," the Hokage told the jonin as he stood at the front of the room. "For the moment however a team reported last night that it appears due to Suna's strength Iwa will not invade."

There're visible signs of relief on people's faces but Minato didn't relax. The Third cleared his throat and continued, "However after a discussion with the clan heads and advisors we have decided to send precautionary reinforcements to the Konoha outpost in the Land of the Rivers. Due to the length of this mission we are asking for volunteers."

A wave of muttering circulated the jonin. It was well known that outpost missions could last for years depending on the situation. Usually the people who volunteered were either searching or running away from something.

"What about the outpost in Land of Grass?" Someone asked.

"After the White Fang's sacrifice it is highly unlikely that an enemy force will try to invade," the Hokage said. "For now we will keep the same numbers in the Grass Country outpost."

Jonin briefly glanced at the floor in respect at the mention of Sakumo's heroics.

"As the chunin exams will commence at the beginning of spring I want the village to remain vigilant for now," the Hokage told them. "Konoha possesses the Will of Fire. If the circumstances turn for the worst we will find a way to prevail."

"Yes Hokage-sama," the jonin chanted. Minato smiled as he admired the Third's way with words.

"Meeting dismissed," the Hokage said. The jonin began to file or body flicker out of the room. Before Minato could leave he heard the Third call, "Minato, Kushina."

Minato exchanged looks with Kushina and Kushina shrugged. They waited for the room to empty until they approached the Hokage.

"After a rather long discussion with the advisors," the Third said as he rummaged in his Hokage robes and pulled out a pipe. "We've come to a decision about Kakashi."

"Originally they wanted to Kakashi to only take part in D-rank missions but considering Kakashi's err… _Force_ of personality I thought it was best not to," the Third chuckled as he lit the pipe. Taking a long drag he exhaled a soft veil of smoke.

"Force of personality," Minato muttered wryly while Kushina grinned.

"Team 7 while be authorised to do missions no higher than borderline C-ranks," the Hokage said. "Even then your team while be confined to the Fire Country for now."

"I understand," Minato nodded, feeling relieved that they were allowed to do missions that were bordering on a C-rank nature. He wasn't sure how he would curb Obito's moaning otherwise.

"However," the Third said. "We agreed that as both of you are the closest to Kakashi that at least one of you must live with him for the time being. I feel that it would be better than sending an ANBU to watch over him. Kakashi needs a parental figure."

"I'll be happy to," Kushina smiled and Minato grinned.

The Hokage sighed and said, "Thank you. Let me know how the rest of you team are getting on as well Minato."

"I will Hokage-sama," Minato nodded. With a wave of dismissal Minato and Kushina left the room.

"I'll move in with Kakashi for now," Kushina said, not surprising Minato since he knew how much Kushina cared for the boy. "Then your team won't think that you're playing favourites."

Minato laughed and said, "That's true… But only if its of convenience to you. I know how much you love your flat."

Kushina shrugged and she grinned, "Kakashi needs a bit of a feminine touch to the place."

"I guess…" Minato said as he tried to imagine Kakashi's face when Kushina turns up on his doorstep with her bags. "But how about I make dinner for the three of us tonight?"

"Idiot," Kushina laughed. "You may be a genius Minato but you can't cook to save your life. Remember that time you gave yourself food poisoning?"

Minato rumpled his hair and laughed awkwardly at the memory. "Fine," he said. "How about we go to Ichiraku's tonight. My treat?"

Kushina's face lit up until Minato hurriedly added, "Anymore than three bowls and you're paying."

"What?" Kushina wailed. "What kind of a gentleman are you?"

"One who doesn't have much money," Minato muttered and Kushina punched him on the shoulder.

"Fine," she said, holding her head high in the air. "We pick up Kakashi at six and we'll break the news to him there."

With that she floated off and for a moment Minato watched her with a smile. Then his thoughts turned to the chunin exams. He sighed. Team 7 still had a long way to go.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'm not overly enamoured with this chapter but it was necessary for development I guess. So any constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.**

**Anyway there is going to be a time-skip to six months ahead. You'll probably be able to guess what the next 'arc' is about. Thanks for reading so far and hope you liked the chapter!**

**Oh yeah and out of interest, has anyone reading this actually eaten miso soup with aubergines? I've always wondered if it tastes nice...**


	8. Arc II: The Chunin Exams: Chapter 7

**A/N: You know I think it has now been just over a year since I discovered that fanfiction actually existed... Wow I was so unenlightened back then.**

**Double post today! Just for you :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Arc II: The Chunin Exams<strong>

**Chapter 7**

"Shadow clone technique!" Kakashi heard someone cry.

Three shadow clones charged at him. Kakashi bunched his muscles together and launched himself at them, the chakra sabre flashing in his hand.

The clones' movements were fast and erratic as Kakashi dodged their attacks. Leap frogging over one, in mid-air Kakashi spun and threw the White Fang with deadly precision. The blade hammered into a clone's chest and it dispersed, but Kakashi didn't waste a moment.

Reaching into his weapons pouch, Kakashi hurled a smoke bomb to floor and then threw two explosive tags into the fray.

The explosion shook the earth and the sheer force of the blast made him take a step back.

But Kakashi didn't relax. To stand back to see the effect of your attack is rookie mistake. One must always assume that the enemy is still alive.

He drew out a kunai and squinted against the smoke. The clearing was eerily silent after the explosion, and as the dust began to settle it appeared that the enemy had been eliminated. Then Kakashi heard it.

His eyes widened and Kakashi threw himself to the floor as a windmill shruiken sailed over his head. He leapt to his feet just as the shruiken transformed into a clone.

Thinking fast, Kakashi wove some seals and shouted, "Lightning style: Dual beast running technique!"

Electricity shrieked as it formed in both of Kakashi's palms. The first wolf tore through the clone, obliterating it in milliseconds. Kakashi spun around and with his left hand fired the next wolf at the clone that had been sneaking up behind him.

With a blast, the wolf easily crushed the third clone between its jaws.

"You should always keep an eye on the real one, Kakashi," a soft voice said and Kakashi felt something cold press against the back of his neck.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, and he disappeared with the puff of smoke. The real Kakashi held the White Fang against the jonin's back. "You were saying, Kushina?" He said.

"A shadow clone?" Kushina raised an eyebrow appearing suitably impressed. "But…"

Kakashi gasped as the air was suddenly knocked out of him. His arms snapped to his sides and the White Fang clattered to the ground. Tight chakra chains wrapped themselves around him and Kakashi grimaced. He hated losing.

Kushina grinned at Kakashi. She bent down and ruffled his head. "A ninja must expect the unexpected," she told him.

The annoyance Kakashi felt earlier evaporated and his eyes averted to the ground momentarily. He knew exactly whom Kushina was quoting.

Kushina dispelled the chains, releasing Kakashi and he scooped up the White Fang. "Let's go again," he said.

A sharp whack hit him round the head. "Idiot," Kushina reprimanded. "What did I say about pushing yourself too hard?" She grabbed him round the collar and dragged Kakashi to where they had left their packed lunches.

"I'm amazed you've mastered the shadow clone technique," Kushina told him and there was a tinge of pride in her voice. "That's a jonin level technique."

Kakashi rubbed his head as he sheathed the chakra blade. "You mastered it when you were a genin," he pointed out as they sat down on the grass.

"I'm a special case," Kushina flashed him a smile.

They opened the lunches Kushina had made earlier in the morning, and ate in companionable silence. Though Kakashi would never admit it, he liked Kushina living with him. Before the house had been a coffin, full of dust, memories and the ghost of his father. With Kushina it had transformed into what used be when his both of parents alive, a bright, airy home with noise, mess and the smell of homemade cooking. Kushina had cleared away the dead plants outside with Minato's help and even the old Hatake training scarecrow had been given a makeover.

Kakashi watched for a moment as Kushina wolfed down her lunch with unladylike gusto. It was strange. He had always thought that to be stronger, you had to throw away your emotions and learn how to survive independently. To trust others was a foolish mistake. After all the ninja code didn't endorse friendship.

But… Kakashi stared up as the sunlight filtered through the leaves, highlighting the delicate veins. Somehow with Kushina, Minato-sensei, Rin and heck, even Obito, Kakashi hadn't felt this alive since his father had died.

"A ryo for your thoughts?" Kushina said.

"Huh?" Kakashi blinked at her. He shook his head, "Don't worry, it's nothing."

Then, the cry of a bird punctured the peaceful air. Kakashi squinted up to see the silhouette of a message hawk soar over them.

"That time of the year already?" Kushina said as she swallowed.

Kakashi sighed. He'd wanted this morning to last a lot longer.

He watched the bird with narrowed eyes and Kakashi thought of his teammates. "I better get going to the meeting," he sighed as he swallowed his last mouthful.

Kushina grinned and said, "Have fun! And wish Obito and Rin good luck for me!"

* * *

><p>The jonin and chunin who were taking part in organising the chunin exams crowded into the meeting room as the Hokage sat at his desk. The atmosphere was fairly tense. People were always keen to see who would be nominated for the exams. After all, the final exam was always an eagerly awaited event. Not only did it showcase new upcoming talent but also you could make a lot of money if you placed your bets right. Though if any of his team did make it to the final round, Minato would obviously place his bets on them out of loyalty as their sensei.<p>

Minato stood near the front with the other jonin instructors and saw Kakashi sidle into the room. He gave his student a wave and Kakashi merely jerked his head back causing Minato to smile.

"Would the instructors of the new genin please step forward," the Third called. Minato and two other jonin stepped out of the crowd.

"Gekko Miyako, Umino Fune and Namikaze Minato," the Hokage said as he named each instructor. "Please state any if you have any recommendations."

Fune was the first to step forwards. "As the sensei of Team 9," he said. "I would like to recommend Yuhi Kurenai, Mizushima Ebisu and Sarutobi Asuma."

A wave of muttering circulated the room about the Hokage's son being nominated but the Third betrayed no emotion.

Next, Miyako stepped forwards. "From Team 2," she stated in her no nonsense tone. "Hyuga Ko, Shiranui Genma and Maito Gai."

Minato heard more whispering from behind him as the second team of rookies was nominated. He smiled to himself, knowing that that what he was about to do would cause even more mutters.

He stepped forwards and said, "From Team 7 I would like to nominate Uchiha Obito and Nohara Rin."

Just as he predicted someone called out, "What? You can't only nominate two. That's against the rules!"

Minato turned and he laughed sheepishly, "Well you see as Kakashi is already a chunin, only two members of my team are genin."

All the adults in the room turned to stare at Kakashi who was leaning against the wall at the back. He sent Minato a scowl.

"Have you found another member, Minato?" The Hokage asked, drawing the chunin and jonin's attention away from Kakashi.

Minato turned back to the Hokage and grinned, "I've found just the genin."

"But still," another person objected. "The rookies are incredibly young. Not everyone is a child prodigy like you were Minato."

Minato felt slightly uncomfortable by this remark, however Rin and Obito had been training incredibly hard over the past six months. He didn't doubt their skills or their teamwork. Minato just hoped that they would get along with their new teammate.

"We do not doubt their skills," Miyako said, her voice cold.

The Hokage cleared his throat loudly. "If Miyako, Fune and Minato have faith in their teams then the genin are permitted to enter the exam," he said. "Now is there anyone who wishes to re-enter their genin?"

* * *

><p>Rin leant against the railings of the bridge running over the Naka River. She listened to the river burble pleasantly and she smiled as she glanced the small buds on the cherry blossom trees. Rin betted that it would look beautiful here in a few months time. She hoped that Team 7 would come here when the flowers blossomed.<p>

It had been Minato's idea to meet by the Naka Bridge. Mainly because it was next to the Uchiha compound so there was less of a chance of Obito being late. Rin glanced up the path leading up to the compound. This was the closest she had come to it and she wondered what it was like inside.

Then, the sound of footsteps alerted her. Rin straightened to see a boy a few years older than her, perhaps twelve or thirteen, approach. His forehead protector was tied aslant to the left and he had dark spiky hair that reminded Rin slightly of Kakashi.

The boy had a confident air around him and his eyes studied Rin. Feeling uncomfortable, Rin offered him a small smile and then turned to look at the river again.

"Excuse me," the boy asked. "Do you know where-"

"Ah good you're here," Minato said as he body flickered onto the Naka Bridge.

"Sensei," Rin smiled, turning around and the boy raised an eyebrow.

"I'll do the introductions when Obito arrives," Minato said, as the boy and Rin looked curiously at each other.

They only had to wait for ten minutes in awkward silence until Rin saw Obito running down the footpath from the Uchiha compound.

"Sorry I'm late," he grinned, his goggles winking in the sunlight. "I was trying to find a little boy."

"Did you find him?" Minato asked.

Obito nodded proudly, "I did. He was hiding behind the bakery."

Rin smiled. In a way she always looked forward to this routine. Though it felt strange that Kakashi wasn't here to discredit Obito's excuse.

"Anyway Obito, Rin, I would like you to meet Yamashiro Aoba," Minato said. Rin waved at him and Obito gave Aoba a nod.

"I've got some good news for you," Minato beamed. "I've nominated you for the chunin exams!"

Rin and Obito stared at him for a good minute.

"Yes!" Obito said, punching the air. "No more D-ranks!"

_The chunin exams? _Rin thought to herself. _Kakashi is a chunin… But am I really ready to enter something serious like this?_

Minato handed Obito and Rin some forms. "Now you don't have to enter," Minato said. "It's completely up to you and I won't be disappointed either so there is no pressure."

"I will be," Aoba muttered.

"But I wanted you to meet Aoba," Minato continued as if he hadn't heard Aoba's comment. "As if you do enter Aoba shall be on your team."

"He's replacing Kakashi?" Obito said sharply, as he jerked his head upwards from the form he had already been filling in.

Minato laughed awkwardly, "Aoba's not replacing anyone Obito."

"The rest of my team have already passed the exam last year," Aoba said, he then muttered, "Stupid Raido…"

"But our teamwork is co-ordinated with Kakashi's," Obito protested. "We've spent months training with him."

Inwardly Rin agreed. It didn't feel like Team 7 if Kakashi was missing. Though she smiled. Obito would never admit it, not even to himself, but Rin could see the small tendrils of friendship forming between him and Kakashi over the last few months. Their arguments had descended into banter, which made Rin feel so much more at ease during training sessions.

"Ninjas work with all sorts of people Obito," Minato told him. "You have to learn how to work well with them, not just Kakashi."

Obito scowled and gave Aoba a very suspicious look. Rin sighed. She looked back down at the form in her hands.

_Am I really ready for this?_ She thought. Rin recalled the months of hard training with Obito and Kakashi. She smiled at the memory. Maybe she was.

"Sensei," she said quietly. "I… I would like to enter." She closed her eyes, bracing herself for Minato's response.

Rin felt a hand ruffle her hair. Surprised, Rin opened her eyes to see Minato looking very seriously at her. "Only if you truly think that you're ready Rin," he said. "Never mind what Obito is doing and that Kakashi is already chunin. What do _you_ want?"

Rin smiled and answered without a single pause or stutter, "I really want to enter the chunin exams Minato-sensei."

She could feel Obito grin and Aoba giving her a surprised look. Minato smiled and she saw a tinge of pride in his eyes. "Very well," he said. "Just fill in your forms and I'll hand them in."

Rin and Obito finished filling in their details and handed the forms to Minato, who carefully folded them up and slipped the pieces of paper into his flak jacket. "Now I'll leave you to get to know Aoba," Minato said. "Get a good night's sleep and turn up at the academy playground tomorrow at 8 o' clock sharp." He gave Obito a wink and added, "Don't worry Obito, I'll let Fugaku know." With that he vanished.

Obito let out a low moan of horror.

Ignoring him, Aoba asked, "If we're going to be on a team we should at least be familiar with each other's moves."

Rin nodded in agreement and Obito managed to pull himself together. "You're an Uchiha aren't you?" Aoba said to Obito. "Have you got your sharingan yet?"

Inwardly Rin winced. Kakashi, Minato and her knew the sharingan was a taboo subject around Obito. She knew how hard Obito worked and it didn't seem fair that he hadn't awakened his bloodline limit yet.

Obito's shoulders slumped slightly and he muttered darkly, "No."

Aoba raised an eyebrow, "Shouldn't you have awakened it around about now? The Uchiha clan are the-"

"I know, damn it," Obito snapped. He glared at Aoba and jabbed a finger at him, "You wait. I _will_ get my sharingan and become a legend. Just like the White Fang."

Aoba opened his mouth to send a retort but Rin intervened. "Obito is really good at taijutsu," she said as a peace offering. "And… And he knows fire techniques. T-that's a trait of the Uchiha clan."

Obito began relax and he smiled his thanks to Rin. Aoba shrugged, "What about you?"

"Umm…" Rin stared at the floor. "I know medical techniques and some illusionary techniques… I guess…"

"Medical techniques will definitely come in handy," Aoba nodded appreciatively. "Well I know some illusion techniques too as well fire techniques. We just need to worry if we meet a water user."

Rin nodded while Obito fumed next to her. "The first exam is to do with intelligence and decision making," Aoba told them. "It varies each year though so I can't really help you there… The second exam is always in the Forest of Death, but again the task will probably be different. And everyone knows the final exam is the tournament."

"Tournament?" Rin whispered and Obito began perk up.

Aoba nodded, "That's all I can tell you really. I'll see you tomorrow." He turned and walked off.

Rin and Obito watched as he receded into the distance. "I do _not_ like him," Obito said, scowling.

Rin, however, decided to reserve judgement. Aoba did seem nice, and it wasn't his fault about the sharingan comment. She hoped the team would gel together. After all, if the rumours were true about the chunin exams then only true teamwork and skill would be able to see them through it.

* * *

><p>"Obito!" Fugaku called. Obito paled. The tone Fugaku had was same one that he used when he captured criminals.<p>

Obito skidded out of his flat, pulling on a sandal, with his jacket unbuttoned and his goggles hanging around his neck.

"Just leaving Uncle!" He called back.

"Good luck Obi-nii!" Shisui appeared at the door, still in his pyjamas.

"Obito!" Obito heard Fugaku march towards him.

Obito blanched and tore off. He had now mastered the fastest route out of the Uchiha compound. Leaping onto the rooftops Obito sprinted across the tiles, not caring if it was unbecoming of an Uchiha. At least he would get to the exam on time.

Obito reached the academy in a record five minutes. _And with just thirty seconds to go, _he thought with a grin. He snapped his goggles on over his eyes and Obito gaped at the amount of people crowded into the academy playground. Ninjas from Kusagakure and Takigakure were present as well as ninjas from Konoha. They seemed so much older than Obito and immediately he felt slightly intimidated by their glares.

Obito found Rin and Aoba with the other Konoha rookies. He tried to think positively. Though most of them, excluding Rin, had laughed at him during academy maybe now they would see him as an equal. After all they were all genin.

"Wow your sensei actually entered you?" Genma smirked as Obito joined the group. His heart sunk. It was just like academy days.

Obito scowled at Genma, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Genma shrugged and answered, "Well you know… Crybabies can't become chunins."

Obito knew exactly which event Genma was referring to in academy. It had been three years ago, during kunai practice. Obito had managed to cut himself with a kunai and always tears had filled his eyes. Since then he had been known as the academy crybaby.

"I had something in my eye," Obito growled.

"Didn't look like that to me," Genma shot back.

Obito opened his mouth to send another retort but it died away as he felt someone touch his arm. He turned bright red as Rin whispered, "He's not worth it, Obito."

"Genma it is un-youthful to argue!" Gai said, as he stood in his alarmingly tight jumpsuit. "You must prove your worth in a glorious battle to end all battles!"

Next to Gai, Ko sighed.

"Not many people here present," Aoba said, looking around in an attempt to change the subject.

"Really?" Kurenai asked, surprised.

Aoba nodded, "There are only about sixty teams or so… Usually there are a lot more…"

"Something is probably going on in the other villages," Asuma agreed.

"Listen up you pathetic bunch of genin!" A sharp shout sent everyone to silence.

Obito looked over to see a rather scary looking man in a black trench coat. He glared at the genin, causing many people to physically flinch. "Kakashi is going to call you into the main training hall one by one, where you must complete the task," the man told them. "All you must do is retrieve the scroll in less than four minutes… If you don't, the consequences…" He started to laugh manically.

Obito then spotted Kakashi standing next to the man with a clipboard. He was giving his fellow examiner a rather derogatory look, one that Obito knew all too well. Obito grinned. It seemed that the examiner was putting on an act then.

Once the crazy examiner had recovered he formed some seals and body flickered away. "Right," Obito heard Kakashi say in a bored voice. "First up is-"

"How is a squirt like you a chunin?" Some thug near the front called. Several genin began to snicker. Obito and Rin however shook their heads at the genin's brainless mistake.

Inwardly Obito sniggered. Excluding Kurenai and Rin, Kakashi was indeed the smallest person present. His height, or lack of, had always been a sore subject.

Kakashi suddenly flashed forwards and he appeared in front of the genin, the White Fang only millimetres away from his throat. "That's how," Kakashi said coldly, as the genin quailed. "And please refrain from making anymore unprofessional comments."

The genin nodded vigorously as Kakashi stepped away.

"What an idiot," Obito heard some Kusagakure nins mutter, as Kakashi called the first person. "That's the son of the White Fang."

"Son of the White Fang, eh?" One of them, a boy wearing a sakkat over his head grinned. "Interesting. Wish he was taking part."

"So that's the White Fang's son," Kurenai whispered, her eyes wide.

"I heard from my dad that he became a chunin when he was six," Asuma nodded. "Amazing."

Obito rolled his eyes. That's all Kakashi needed. More fans to inflate his already big head.

"Six?" Gai said, staring at Kakashi. "Now he would be a worthy rival…"

Suddenly, a scream halted the group's conversation. All eyes swivelled onto the training hall where the windows had been blacked out with boards.

"Just collect a scroll?" Ko said, his face pale. The small Hyuga activated his byakugan.

"See anything?" Genma asked him.

Ko shook his head, "No… They've cast some kind of technique over the hall. I can't see anything."

"It'll be fine," Aoba, as the oldest present, assured them.

Obito sat down on the ground and the other Konoha rookies followed suit. Since Kakashi was calling them in alphabetical order it was going to be a long wait.

The rest of the exam progressed in that fashion. One by one, the genin were called forth and the odd shout or scream sounded from the hall. With the dwindling numbers the atmosphere became more and more tense. Then, the first of the rookies was called up.

"Hyuga Ko!" Kakashi called lazily, jerking his thumb to the hall.

"Good luck," Genma said to his teammate.

"With the power of youth!" Gai said.

Ko smiled weakly as he stood up and he walked off. The group waited but no sound came from the hall.

Next to leave was, "Nohara Rin!"

Rin bit her lip but Obito grinned, "Good luck Rin! I know you'll do your best!"

"Good luck," Aoba murmured.

Rin nodded, her face pale, as she headed to the hall. Obito shoved down any nerves that attempted to surface. Rin was extremely clever. This was an exam to test intelligence. Rin will ace it.

When Gai bounced into the hall the remaining genin heard a loud war cry from within.

"You know I can't tell if that's a good or bad thing," Genma said dryly and Asuma laughed weakly.

Finally after what felt like hours of waiting, there were only three people left in the playground. Kurenai, Aoba and Obito.

"Uchiha Obito!" Kakashi called.

Obito stood up from the dirt. Aoba nodded at him. Gulping, Obito began to walk towards the training hall. As he passed Kakashi, he heard his teammate mutter something incoherent.

Obito turned and asked, "What did you say?"

"Nothing," Kakashi replied, not even bothering to turn around.

Frowning, Obito continued his way to the training hall. If he didn't know any better he would have said that Kakashi had just wished him good luck.

Obito's thoughts however flew out his head as he stepped through the doors. The training hall had been transformed. At the centre was a large circular pool, at least eight metres in diameter, ringed by a rope railing.

Obito's eyes were then drawn to the thin, whittled cane that was balanced on the water's surface presumably by a technique. Following the cane, Obito gazed upwards see the scroll perfectly balanced on the pointed tip.

"You have to be joking," Obito groaned. He then remembered the examiner's words. He had only four minutes to retrieve the scroll.

Obito bit his lip as he attempted to calm the panic that was threatening to rise. The cane was short enough that if toppled, the scroll would plunge into the water. The ceiling was too high and if Obito attempted to step on the water a technique would probably activate.

Obito gripped the railing, as his mind burned with thoughts. There must be a way… There must be… Obito felt the rough texture of the rope cutting into his hands. The rope. That was it!

A grin flashed across Obito's face. He had a plan.

* * *

><p>Rin sat nervously in the classroom where the genin who'd taken the exam had been led. Some of the participants sat in puddles of water, completely soaked through, as they looked miserable. Others were slightly damp like Rin and clutched scrolls. Only a small handful were completely dry.<p>

Obito, who was sitting on her right, was one of those few. The contestants sat in silence, until a dry Kurenai walked through the doors.

"The first exam is now over maggots!" The insane examiner suddenly body flickered into the room causing several genin to jump. Rin glanced over to see that a small group of examiners sidled in, Kakashi among them.

_They must have been watching us,_ Rin thought.

The examiner turned around and began to write something on the blackboard. "I forgot to tell you," he smirked nastily. "But there was a point system."

The genin stared at him in horror. Rin, however, was not surprised. As soon as she had stepped into the hall she guessed there would be a certain criteria that they had to fulfil.

Rin read what the examiner had written on the board:

_1. Each team starts with 0 points._

_2. The genin's performance affects their team, so if one fails the entire team fails._

_3. If a genin is slightly wet or they exceeded the time limit or the scroll is slightly damaged two points will be deducted for each penalty._

_4. If the scroll is successfully retrieved five points is awarded._

_5. Extra points may be awarded if the method at retrieving the scroll was creative and unpredictable. Likewise extra points may be awarded if the task was completed in less than one minute._

_6. If the genin failed to retrieve the scroll or fell into the water or the team has less than five points, this is an instant fail._

Rin felt a sweep of relief. Both Obito and Aoba held scrolls, and neither were soaked. They just needed over five points to get through to the next exam.

"Now you've read the rules," the examiner sneered. "Those who have failed. Leave. Now."

Rin bit her lip as she saw some of the desolate looks upon people's faces as they were forced out of the room by the other examiners. The examiner began to slowly read out the results, abusing and insulting the genin's methods of retrieving the scroll.

As he read out Team 2's one member's method caught Rin's attention. "Maito Gai," the examiner said, sighing. "You're insane. For some reason you thought it was a bright idea to climb onto the balcony and launch yourself at the scroll using only speed and chakra. Which resulted in you crashing into the opposite wall."

"That explains the war cry," Obito whispered and Aoba grinned.

The examiner scratched his head bemusedly and admitted, "But you retrieved the scroll intact and under one minute. However we decided to deduct two points for sheer idiocy and your broken nose. That's five points altogether."

Gai gave him a thumbs up, accompanied by a sparkly smile as he sported his bloody nose.

The examiner continued to go through the results until he reached one of the Kusagakure teams. Rin listened with awe as each member had effortlessly sailed through and one member, the boy wearing the sakkat, had managed to retrieve the scroll in less than thirty seconds. Their team was awarded a massive twenty points

Rin memorised each of the Kusagakure nin's faces, just in case they met in the future.

"Team 7," the examiner said and Rin's stomach lurched. "Nohara Rin, you had an extremely creative method at retrieving the scroll. You managed to construct a net from the railings and ninja wire. However as the cane fell you were splashed by the water. Five points."

Rin let out of whoosh of air.

"Yamashiro Aoba," the examiner continued. "Using a fire technique to disturb the technique cast over the cane was certainly… Unique. You then lassoed the falling scroll with ninja wire. Though the scroll is pretty charred. Three points."

_Eight points,_ Rin thought. _Come on Obito!_

"Uchiha Obito," the examiner announced and Rin held her breath. "You cut the ropes, tied them together and then climbed onto the ceiling. A lot of genin tried this however they failed as we designed the rope to be too short to lasso the scroll from the ceiling."

"But," the examiner said and he scratched his head, giving him the same look he had given to Gai. "You tied your goggles onto the end of the rope and you were able to hook the scroll, though you did exceed the time limit by thirty seconds. Five points."

Obito beamed as the other Konoha rookies' jaws dropped. Uchiha Obito, the class dropout who had spectacularly failed his written tests, had passed the intelligence exam.

"I… Knew you could do it Obito," Rin whispered to him.

Obito stared at her, his eyes wide. Then he grinned, "Same to you Rin."

"Well done," Aoba said to Obito and Rin. "Thirteen points. That puts us in a decent position."

"Better than Genma's team," Obito chuckled.

They listened as Team 9 was passed with ten points, until the examiner finally finished reading the results.

"Now listen up. I-" But whatever he was about to tell them was cut short as the glass pane to their right shattered and a smoke ball exploded inside the room.

"What the hell?" Obito spluttered.

"Oh god it's her," Aoba groaned.

"Who?" Rin asked, as she squinted. She spotted a dark silhouette standing in front of the room.

"The second exam has now commenced!" A woman shouted in an imperious voice.

"Crazy examiner lady," Aoba muttered darkly.

As the smoke began to clear a small woman with short, dark spikey hair and a rather scary smile was revealed. "My name is Mitarashi Imoni," she told them. "And I am your second examiner!" She peered at them, with a raised eyebrow.

"This idiot," she said jerking a thumb back at the first examiner. "Only managed to eliminate about a third of you." Her face split into a wide, evil grin. "I plan to eliminate at least half and some of you will probably die. Bring your scrolls and your sorry arses tomorrow at midday! I'll be outside of the entrance of the Forest of Death. Your instructors will know where that is. Drop out if you want to live!" And with that bombshell, she body flickered out of the room.

Rin stared at the spot where the woman had vanished with wide eyes. She knew a lot of that was talk to scare them but still… "D-drop out if you want to live?" Rin repeated and she began to wonder what exactly she had managed to get herself into.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

_This is bad!_ Obito thought, as he sprinted through the trees. _I have to hurry!_

Obito burst out from the leaves and tumbled out into the clearing where the genin were waiting.

"500 ryo that the kid with the goggles gets killed?" Obito heard someone snicker as he picked himself up.

"Nah, how about 600 ryo that I'll be the one to kill him?" another person smirked.

Obito glowered and stomped over to Rin and Aoba who were clutching forms. "What are those?" He asked them.

"The lady examiner handed them out," Aoba told him.

"Hey kid, what's your name?" Obito heard from behind.

He turned to see the second proctor, Mitarashi Imoni, approach with an evil grin, as she twirled a kunai.

"Uchiha Obito," he told her, pretending not to be scared.

"Uchiha huh?" She said, as she gave him a form. "I hope that you've awakened your sharingan. Otherwise you're not going to survive in there." She cackled and wandered away.

Obito was tempted to scrunch up the form and throw it back at her.

"Cheer up," Aoba said. "We're in eighth place."

"Huh," Obito said, still feeling pissed off, as he signed the form without even bothering to read it. He glanced up at the chain link fence surrounding the forty-fourth training grounds. Signs warning of danger and death were pasted across the fence and Obito's eyes were drawn to the vicious barbed wire that decorated the top. Beyond the fence lay the Forest of Death. The trees so thick that even sunlight was unable to penetrate the leaves. Obito, however, wasn't deterred.

After handing in their forms the genin crowded round to listen to the instructions Imoni was about to give them.

"Listen up," She said. "Because I'm only going to say this once. In the Forest of Death you'll find things of unimaginable horror. The exam will last for exactly twenty-four hours and if you exceed the time limit that's an instant fail."

"Twenty-four hours?" Aoba muttered, raising an eyebrow. "That's a lot shorter than last time."

"The scrolls you possess are worth one hundred points each," the examiner continued. "You need four hundred points altogether to pass."

_So we need to steal a scroll from another team,_ Rin thought. She glanced over at the Kusagakure team and sincerely hoped that they didn't cross paths.

"This exam is designed to test your endurance and stamina," Imoni told them. "Only the strongest will survive in there."

With the talk over, the genin headed over to their designated gates. Team 7 stood outside gate eight.

Aoba was going through his weapons pouch as Rin nervously stared through the chain link fence. Obito was bouncing on the balls of his feet with excitement. He knew it was going to be tough, but Obito relished the chance to prove himself.

The chunin standing by the gate glanced at his watch. He unlocked the gate and said, "Team 7, get ready. Three… Two…One... Go!"

"Let's go," Obito shouted and they ran into the jaws of the Forest of Death.

* * *

><p>Kakashi stared at the KIA memorial, as the sunlight bounced off the marble stone. Some days Kakashi talked to Sakumo, others he just found himself lost in the memories. Today was one of the latter.<p>

_Kakashi stood in the arena, the genin who was twice his age lying unconscious in front of him. He hands were bloody from gripping his kunai too hard, and his hair was stained with the disgusting gloop the genin had fired at him from his technique earlier. He stumbled slightly, his vision fogging and Kakashi's muscles screamed with exhaustion._

_There was no cheering or clapping like Kakashi had expected. Just silence, as the crowd stared at the six year old with awe._

_"Hatake Kakashi wins!" The amazed proctor announced._

_Still there was silence and Kakashi's shoulders sagged with disappointment. Then he heard it. A single clap echoed throughout the entire stadium. Kakashi craned his neck and his face split into a tired smile._

_There, up in the second tier, was the small figure of Konoha's White Fang giving his son a standing ovation. Next Kushina jumped up, accompanied by Dad's friend Jiraiya. Kushina's weird friend Minato followed them with a grin._

_The audience snapped back to reality and the stadium erupted. Kakashi smiled, but all he wanted to do right now was sleep._

_Some medics ushered him away and others carried his poor opponent on a stretcher. Kakashi's eyelids suddenly seemed to be made of lead, and he struggled to keep them open as someone began to bandage his tiny hands._

_"He's suffering from chakra exhaustion," he heard someone dimly say. Hands pushed him back onto a soft bed and Kakashi tried to shy away. He hated being touched by strangers. But somehow he could no longer move his limbs._

_Then the clamouring and tinny noises stopped. Kakashi began to dip in and out on consciousness. Faintly he was aware of something warm touch his forehead._

_He wanted to call out and tell the person about the annoying gloop in his hair but his tongue refused to move. But the person didn't seem revolted by it. Though they removed their hand, the last thing Kakashi was aware of was their comforting presence beside him._

Kakashi jerked back to the present and sighed. Of course now that he was older he had sussed out that that person had been his father. After all Sakumo was the one he had first seen when he had woken up.

"Thank you," Kakashi whispered, staring at the engraved name.

People had always felt Sakumo had been cruel for entering his son into the chunin exams at such a young age. But in reality, Kakashi had been the one who proved to his father that he was ready. All the way through the exams Sakumo had constantly asked if Kakashi wanted to drop out.

Kakashi gazed up at the sky and his thoughts turned to his teammates. He felt an extremely strange feeling yesterday when he heard that Obito and Rin had passed through the first exam though he wasn't sure what it had been.

He then began to wonder what was taking Minato-sensei so long. He said to meet him here at two.

"You appear deep in thought Kakashi," he heard a dry voice croak.

Kakashi turned to see who had spoken and he stiffened.

Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin, slowly walked up the memorial steps. Kakashi's eyes widened slightly. There was something about Orochimaru that caused Kakashi's skin to crawl. Maybe it was the unnaturally chalk white skin or his sickly yellow eyes. Kakashi's wasn't sure. But there was something about the jonin that screamed danger to Kakashi.

"Do you always come here?" Orochimaru asked as he joined Kakashi's side.

Kakashi shrugged. _Where are you Minato?_ He thought. _Why do you have to be late today of all days?_

Orochimaru chuckled slightly, "Death is something to be solved not dwelled upon."

Kakashi jerked and he looked up at Orochimaru with narrowed eyes, wondering what the Sannin meant.

"Kakashi?"

Relief flooded through Kakashi as he saw Minato emerge from the trees. Orochimaru's smile faded.

"It was nice talking to you Kakashi," he said. Orochimaru turned and walked back down the steps.

Kakashi watched as Minato and Orochimaru crossed paths. They stopped, side by side, without turning to face each other. Light and dark. Day and night. The differences were so vast between the two, that Kakashi found it insane that someone could even consider Orochimaru a candidate for the next Hokage. But then, he was the Third's student and the Hokage put an enormous amount of trust with him. Orochimaru also had age and experience on his side, unlike Minato.

For a tense minute the two stood then, Kakashi saw his sensei's fists tighten slightly and Orochimaru walked away.

Minato trudged up the steps to join his student.

"Sensei?" Kakashi said. It unnerved him to see Minato so edgy.

"Kakashi," Minato said softly, as he stared at the KIA memorial. "Between you and me, not only as your sensei but also as someone who deeply cares for your welfare… I know the Hokage trusts Orochimaru and I know he was Jiraiya-sensei's teammate however…"

Minato tore his gaze away from the stone and stared down Kakashi, "Promise me that you'll stay away from Orochimaru?"

Kakashi heartily nodded and said immediately, "I promise." And he meant it. Kakashi had no idea why he would ever have the desire to seek out Orochimaru.

* * *

><p>Night gripped the Forest of Death. The exam so far had been fairly uneventful for Rin, Obito and Aoba. Apart from hearing the odd scream and explosion that punctuated the air every so often and a brush with a rather nasty giant insect, that is.<p>

It had been Aoba's idea to head straight to the tower and lay a trap for a team. The trees began to thin and Rin could hear the gentle sound of running water. Far above their heads the tower loomed over the treetops.

Aoba who had been leading them suddenly halted and raised his fist in the air. Obito and Rin stopped, crouching down with Aoba in the undergrowth.

"Takigakure team at two o'clock," he muttered to them. Rin glanced over to see three Taki nins cautiously advancing their through the trees.

"I'll provide an opening," Aoba muttered. Obito opened his mouth but Rin shook her head. Now was not the time to argue.

He crept forwards. Rin and Obito nodded at each, both separating into opposite directions.

Launching herself up, Rin hid safely in the branches of the tree. On the far side she could see Obito screened by a bush. She drew a kunai and watched as Aoba slowly advanced towards the team. "Scattering a hundred crows technique," Aoba whispered from behind a tree. A swarm of crows exploded from the air. Cawing and swooping around the Taki team the crows obscured their vision.

"Fire style: Great fireball technique!"

A roaring inferno exploded from Obito's hiding place, engulfing the Taki team. Trees burst alight and torched the undergrowth.

Seizing her chance Rin hurled an explosive tag into the fray, knowing Obito would have retreated by now. The burning trees were blasted into tiny flaming shrapnel and Rin had to grip the branch to prevent herself from falling.

_Did we get them?_ Rin thought. Suddenly her eyes widened in horror. There was a vicious hissing and the flames were extinguished into hot steam.

"Hey if we hadn't known any water techniques you would have killed us," a voice growled from behind her.

Before Rin could react, the Taki nin struck a vicious blow into her back. With a cry, Rin fell from the branch and hit the ground. Winded, she began to retch from the lack of oxygen.

"Pathetic," the Taki nin spat. She heard the sound of a kunai being drawn and footsteps approached her. "Looks like I'll just have to kill you n-"

The Taki nin stopped in mid sentence, his eyes wide. He dropped the kunai and began to gasp for air. The Taki nin desperately clutched at his throat, as he wheezed with a strange whistling sound.

"H-How?" He rasped.

Rin suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke, revealing a log. The real member of Team 7 stepped out from behind a tree. "Because you fell into my illusion," she said simply.

The Taki nin's eyes rolled back and he collapsed unconscious. Rin stared at his stupefied face for a moment, trying not to hate herself.

_You're a ninja, _she told herself firmly. _Be strong._

Gulping, she bent down and rummaged around in his jacket, plucking out a scroll. Safely storing the scroll away into her weapons pouch Rin thought, _I hope Obito and Aoba are ok. _Her brow creased into a frown but reminded herself that Obito and Aoba were strong. They should be fine.

Rin slipped away through the trees, when suddenly she heard a yell. Drawing a kunai, Rin advanced with her heart thumping. Quelling the panic that was threatening to rise, she leant against a tree and slowly peered round.

Her eyes widened as she took in the unconscious blood covered Taki nin. Then she saw Aoba kneeling on the grass as he clutched his eyes in agony.

"Aoba!" Rin said as she ran over. She dropped down beside him.

"Bastard hit me at the last moment," Aoba told her between gritted teeth.

"Let me see," Rin said gently, as she adopted the tone of voice she had picked up while working at the hospital.

Slowly, Aoba dropped his hands and Rin bit her lip as she saw a disgusting blue tinted substance wrapped around his eyes. It looked sticky and probably water-based. Rin began to wrack her mind and she realised it was hopeless. She didn't know any earth techniques to counter it. Even using medical techniques was risky because it could cause further damage to Aoba's eyes.

Thinking fast, Rin steeled herself and held Aoba's hands in hers. She felt glad that he couldn't see how uncomfortable she was.

"W-we have to find Obito," Rin said. "You… You have to trust me."

Despite the fact his shoulder were hunched in pain, Aoba smiled, "Lead the way, Rin."

* * *

><p>Obito ducked as the Taki nin's water bullets obliterated the tree behind him. Forming seals fast Obito shouted, "Fire style: Great fireball technique."<p>

The wall of fire was met with a jet of water and it evaporated on the spot.

"Man, you are really thick," the girl sighed and she shook her head in disbelief. "Don't you know that water defeats fire?"

Obito scowled. Of course he knew that. The problem was that he only knew one ninja technique.

The girl then cricked her neck to one side and loosened her shoulder. "So," she said casually. "What's your name? I like to know people's names before I kill them."

"What kind of twisted honour is that?" Obito snorted in disbelief.

She ignored his question and asked, "So what's your name? I'm Suzu."

"Uchiha Obito," he reluctantly told her.

Suzu raised an eyebrow. "Uchiha?" She said suddenly looking interested. "So you have the sharingan?"

_Sharingan schmaringan, _Obito thought darkly. _One day, one day I will have it!_

Then a rather devious idea struck him.

"That's right," he grinned. "I have the sharingan, but I'm not going to use it on someone weak like you!"

Suzu growled and she ran forwards, hurling a volley of shruiken. Obito leapt back and he hid in the undergrowth. _I've got to think up a plan, _he thought. Obito propped up his goggles on his forehead and rubbed his tired eyes. Suddenly a sharp whistling alerted him and a kunai hammered home, just above his head.

Obito dived out of the bushes when he suddenly heard, "Water style: Raging floods!"

The girl grinned as the banks of the river next to them burst. Water roared and the flood hurled Obito aside, ruthlessly throwing him into a rock. Blood filled Obito's mouth and his side burned with pain.

"For an Uchiha you're pretty weak," Suzu laughed, as Obito unsteadily hauled himself up.

_Nothing broken, _Obito thought as he gingerly touched his wound and hissed with pain. As they stood on the surface of the now flooded clearing, blood began to steadily stain the water.

Gritting his teeth Obito positioned himself into the unique Uchiha fighting stance, just in time as Suzu launched herself at him.

Her attacks were fluid like her water techniques and Obito barely had time to block them. She sent a vicious uppercut towards Obito's nose but missed by millimetres as he bent backwards. Obito twisted to the side and leapt, sending a kick in response.

The Taki nin swayed to the side and defying instinct she grabbed Obito shirt, wrenching him forwards.

Obito saw the glint of the kunai as the lethal tip flashed towards his left eye. Without thinking, Obito grabbed his goggles and slammed them down.

The kunai bounced off the plastic visor, heavily scratching the surface and cracks began to spider their way along the left side.

Obito saw red.

Growling, he grabbed the girl by the shoulders and threw his head at hers. Their heads slammed together with an audible crack and Suzu fell back, crying with pain. Obito's vision blurred for a moment and he rubbed his head, grinning. "Kakashi always said I had a thick head," Obito said.

Suzu hauled herself to her feet and bared her teeth at Obito. Blood trickled its way down her face. "You're going to pay for that, damn it!" She screamed.

But Obito was ready. He ran across the water and leapt high into a tree. "Trying to hide?" She sneered.

"Nope!" Obito yelled back. "Fire style: Great fireball technique!"

Suzu smirked but it faded fast with realisation. The attack hit the water at her feet and angry water vapour hissed, engulfing Obito's opponent.

"Water evaporates into steam," Obito said grimly. "And steam burns."

Obito turned his back to Suzu's screams. "Sorry," he whispered. Though she had been his opponent, Obito didn't enjoy seeing people in pain.

When her screams had subsided, Obito glanced over his shoulder and swore. Unconscious, the Taki girl was floating face down in the water. Without even thinking, Obito leapt from the tree and sprinted across the water. Kneeling down, he turned her over and flinched. Her was skin hideously marred by angry burns. Puckered and wrinkled, the result of Obito's attack stared accusingly back at him. Tears welled in Obito eyes and stomach acid rose up in his throat.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, biting his lip. Obito looked up at the very rock he had been thrown against earlier.

He carefully lifted Suzu, groaning with pain and laid her on the blood stained rock. Gently he scooped a handful of water and poured it onto her wounds. Three times he repeated this until Obito straightened. He was no medic ninja and they were still enemies after all. But still… Obito had never expected the exams to be so brutal.

He bent down and slipped Suzu's scroll from her pocket. Obito turned and raced out of the clearing.

He sprinted through the trees, clutching his wound that started to throb angrily. Obito halted and he slipped off his goggles, gazing down at them sadly. These goggles had been through everything. They had seen him through the pains of academy, adventured with him on that all too memorable B-rank mission and had aided him in the first exam. Obito sighed and hung them around his neck.

"Wonder where Rin and Aoba are?" Obito muttered staring round, feeling vulnerable without his faithful goggles to protect his eyes.

"Obito!" He heard Rin's voice.

Relieved, Obito smiled as Rin and Aoba emerged from some bushes. Then he saw something that made his face crease up in outrage. Bad enough that Rin liked Kakashi, but_him_?

"What?" Obito exclaimed, pointing as they clutched hands. "Rin, please don't say that you're with _him_. You can do so much better than that idiot."

"Cheers," Aoba muttered.

Rin blushed and said, "N-no… It's not like that Obito! S-see… Aoba's eyes…"

Obito glanced at Aoba to see the sticky gloop. "Oh right," he said sheepishly, as he turned red. "Yeah… I knew that… Just kidding."

"Rin and I have extra scrolls," Aoba said, looking nowhere near at Obito.

"Me too," Obito grinned. The team stood in silence for a moment as realisation hit them. Altogether they had six-hundred points. An astounding amount.

"All we need to do now is find a way to the tower. From what I remember there's no way to sneak in. It's completely open," Aoba told them.

"Great," Obito groaned. There would definitely be teams hiding, waiting to ambush genin who approached the tower.

Obito then noticed Rin was studying his side anxiously. "You're hurt," she said, looking concerned. "I can-"

"I'm fine Rin," Obito smiled, despite the pain he felt. He knew much how Rin fretted over her teammates and he didn't want to worry her. "Save your strength."

"I think I know we can get to the tower," Aoba announced. He gestured for Obito to come closer and they huddled together. Whispering, Aoba hurriedly told them his plan.

"Get it?" Aoba said as they straightened. Rin and Obito nodded with renewed determination.

Suddenly a scream of pain wrought the air, freezing the team.

"What was that?" Obito said.

"We should go," Aoba said quietly, as the team shifted uneasily.

The person cried out again and Obito eyes widened. He recognised that voice. He turned and began to run through the woods towards the source.

"Obito!" He heard Rin cry. But Obito kept running. He burst out from the vegetation and skidded by a river, only to be met by kunai.

"Come to get a scroll? Think we're easy pickings?" Asuma growled. His hands shook and Obito stared at the blood running down his face from an angry cut.

"No," Obito said, holding up his hands. "No I just heard… Is that Ebisu?"

Obito glanced around Asuma to see Kurenai supporting Ebisu by the river shore. Her face was white and her hands were drenched in blood.

Ebisu's glasses were broken, a stab wound punctured his shoulder and his leg looked like it was broken. He gritted his teeth, attempting to prevent any more cries, as Kurenai whispered soothing words.

"We were attacked ok?" Asuma said. "They stole Ebisu's scroll and we barely managed to escape alive."

"Obito?" Rin emerged from the trees, dragging Aoba behind her. Immediately Obito saw her eyes widened as she took in Ebisu.

"Look after Aoba?" Rin said softly to Obito. He gave the older boy a grudging look but nodded. Rin left Aoba's side and walked over to the river shore. The boys glanced over to see Rin kneeling beside Ebisu. Obito watched amazement as green chakra began to form in her hands and she placed them over Ebisu's shoulder.

Obito smiled. Rin was the kindest person he had ever known. Asuma's eyes widened and he dropped the kunai.

With the help of Kurenai, it took Rin almost fifteen minutes to bandage Ebisu's wound and create a splint for his leg. "Once he gets to hospital they should be able to heal it properly," Obito heard Rin tell Kurenai.

Supporting Ebisu, they helped him to stand and they joined the other boys. "Why?" Asuma asked, as Rin returned to Aoba and Obito's sides.

"Because we're Konoha ninja," Obito grinned. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out the drenched scroll he had stolen from the Taki girl. He held it out to Asuma.

Smiling, Rin did the same. "We… We look out for each other," she said softly to Kurenai and Asuma's stunned faces.

"I…" Asuma spluttered.

"Just take them," Obito said, and he pressed his scroll into Asuma's hands. "We already have ours."

Open mouthed, Kurenai took Rin's. Waving Team 7 turned away and began to walk back into the trees.

"Obito!" Asuma called out. Obito stopped and glanced over his shoulder. In the dim light the look on Asuma's face was odd. It was almost as if he was ashamed.

"I'm sorry," Asuma said. "About-"

"Ah, doesn't matter," Obito shrugged, but he felt a strange feeling rise up in his chest. He grinned, "See you at the tower."

As Team 7 slipped away Obito realised what the emotion was. It was the feeling of acceptance.

* * *

><p>Morning was already upon Team 7 as they reached the clearing where the tower stood. Soft sunlight filled the area, giving the place a deceptively safe glow. The goal was so close that Obito could almost taste the final exam. Obito was happy that Aoba and Rin were no longer holding hands. Instead they were joined together by ninja wire tied to their waists. Aoba nodded and slowly, they emerged out into the open.<p>

Immediately a barrage of shruiken flew out from nowhere and Obito parried them with a kunai.

"Scattering a hundred crows technique!" Aoba shouted. The crows burst out from the air, shielding the team as they sprinted to the tower.

"Duck!" Obito yelled and windmill shruiken sailed over their heads. Six… Five… Only four metres away from the doors!

With a war cry, that would have even put Gai to shame, Obito dove through the open doors closely followed by Rin and Aoba. The doors slammed shut and they heard shruiken hammer into the wood.

"Haha," Obito laughed weakly as they lay on the floor, tears stinging his eyes as his wound protested.

"We made it," Aoba gasped.

They sat up and Obito looked around the small room they were in. "Hey," he said, as a sudden thought occurred to him. "Can we open the scrolls now?"

"I guess…" Aoba said slowly. "We should probably do it at once."

Rin helped Aoba position himself and they sat together in a circle. "Ready?" Obito said. They nodded. "One… Two… Three!"

The scrolls unfurled and suddenly smoke engulfed them, causing the team to scoot back.

"Well this is cosy," a voice drawled. Coughing, Obito's eyes widened. He recognised that voice.

"K-Kakashi-kun?" Rin said, smiling.

"Hatake Kakashi?" Aoba said, looking up with his blind eyes.

Kakashi surveyed their tired and blood stained appearances. "You actually made it back in good time," he stated.

Obito scowled, "What are you suggesting?"

"Nothing, idiot," Kakashi threw casually. He then stared at Aoba for several minutes with narrowed eyes.

Aoba shifted uncomfortably, sensing Kakashi gaze despite his lack of sight. Rin cleared her voice, "Um so why are you here, Kakashi-kun?"

"Oh right," Kakashi said, glancing back at her. "Those scrolls summoned me to inform you that you've passed the second exam. Congratulations."

* * *

><p>Several hours later Minato stood next to Umino Fune, Team 9's sensei, wearing a grin. He watched Obito, Rin and Aoba line up in the large arena with the other genin.<p>

"All the rookie teams made it," Fune observed with a smile. The Hokage, who was next to Fune, chuckled. Team 2's instructor, Gekko Miyako, and the Kusagakure instructor stood on the Third's other side with serious faces.

"Only four teams," Minato said quietly. "Imoni really outdid herself this time… But then she did set an insane time limit."

On the step below where the examiners, including Kakashi, stood Minato could see Mitarashi Imoni grinning.

Minato gazed at his team, relieved to see that they were in one piece. Though, there was a strange looking substance over Aoba's eyes and Obito was clutching a bleeding wound at his side. Rin looked exhausted but otherwise fine.

Fune's team hadn't fared so well. Both Kurenai and Asuma were supporting a semi-unconscious Ebisu. Minato narrowed his eyes and noticed that they were white and shaking. Something had terrified them out there.

"Congratulations," the Hokage called out, bringing the genin to a silence. "You have succeeded in passing the second exam! The final exam is, as you all know, a tournament that shall take place in a month's time. Several great leaders will be travelling to see the event and you should hold yourselves with pride for making it this far."

The Third gestured at a chunin who was standing at the side. "We shall now decide whom your opponent will for the next round," he said as the chunin held out a bag. The Hokage rummaged inside the bag and drew out two small balls. "The first match shall be Maito Gai versus Hyuga Ko!"

"Two teammates against each other," Fune muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.

Minato watched with some amusement as Gai jumped and punched the air. Ko, on the other hand, looked at his teammate with despair.

"The next match shall be Sarutobi Asuma versus Ohayashi Mio," the Hokage announced with an emotionless face.

Minato glanced over at the Kusa girl. He knew that the Grass team were the first to make it back. Asuma most likely had a tough battle ahead of him.

"Nohara Rin versus Yuhi Kurenai."

Minato's brow knitted into a frown. From what he knew the Yuhi clan were illusion specialists. Rin's techniques were likely to be no match against Kurenai's. He made a mental note to teach Rin some new techniques.

"The fourth match will be Hara Dai versus Mizushima Ebisu." In the crowd Ebisu paled as the Kusa boy flashed him a nasty grin.

The Third reached into the bag again. "Shiranui Genma versus Yamashiro Aoba," he announced.

Minato's heart sank. He had heard how strong the remaining Kusa boy was. Mind you, even if Obito's opponent was a Kage the boy would never willingly drop out. Not with his stubbornness, determination and the mounting pressure from the clan.

The final match was declared, "Shibata Ryuu versus Uchiha Obito."

"What?" He heard Obito say, as Team 9 stared at him as if he was about to die. "Why's everyone looking at me?"

Though Ryuu's face was obscured by the straw hat, Minato could feel his annoyance emanating towards Obito. Minato bit his lip.

This was going to be one extremely tough month.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: To tell you the truth, the second exam was only 24 hours because I really did not want it to be hideously drawn out. I've always felt that it just went on for far too long in the anime, but that's just my opinion. ****If you're wondering when Anko will make her appearance, don't worry she will. I have already planned out that scene. Also things will be deviating away from the canon even more after the next chapter.**

**There will be no update next week because I will be somewhere in the English countryside... That's mainly why I posted two chapter this week :) Though sadly I have started revising for my final year exams so updates will be more sporadic. Applying to university is just too much effort... But I will do my best and try not to leave you hanging for too long.**

**Thank you to all the people who reviewed, faved, followed and, of course, read this so far!**

**5/4/12****: This has been edited thanks to **Kyogre's **help.**


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Obito slowly pushed his eyelids open as sleep slipped away. His eyes stung and watered as the light hit him, but he forced his retinas to adjust.

The white hospital ceiling greeted him and for a moment he stared at the smooth surface with tired eyes. Obito could hear the cheerful chirruping of birds from outside and the soft, warm sheets caressed him. Inwardly, Obito grinned. He had passed the second exam. He, Uchiha Obito, the academy dropout had passed the second exam on his first attempt.

"So you're finally awake," a voice drawled from near the window.

Instantly, Obito was awake. Tilting his head to the right he saw Kakashi sitting on the windowsill, with the window wide open as the curtains billowed in the breeze.

"Can't you sit on a chair like a normal person?" Obito grumbled, as he struggled to sit up. The wound in his side panged, but the pain had dulled into a reassuring ache.

Kakashi ignored Obito's comment and told him, "You've been asleep for about a day. Sensei's already started training Rin."

"What?" Obito said and he threw back the covers. "I have to start training!"

Someone had already dressed him in clean clothes so Obito hobbled out of bed and pulled on his jacket. He picked up his forehead protector from the bedside table and hurriedly tied it, then realised something was missing. His goggles. Obito gazed around the room and began to search through the bedside table drawers.

"Looking for your goggles?" Kakashi said lazily. "The nurses threw them out while they were dressing your wound."

Obito's shoulders sagged. He'd been intending to get them repaired or keep the goggles as a memento for passing the second exam. Now they were gone and Obito was without his trademark.

"Seeing as you're up, we might as get some lunch," Kakashi offered and he jumped out of the window leaving Obito open mouthed.

Despite the fact that Team 7 had often eaten lunch together after training, it had always been either Minato or Rin to suggest it. Obito rarely bothered and Kakashi sometimes would make an excuse and leave.

Unsure what to make of Kakashi's offer, Obito clambered onto the windowsill and leapt after his teammate.

* * *

><p>"Sensei," Rin said, as she and Minato stood in the third training grounds. "Do you think Obito and Aoba will be ok?"<p>

"Of course they will," Minato assured her, as he rummaged around in one of his flak jacket pockets. "When Obito recovers he'll start training with Kakashi. Aoba's eyes will take a couple of more days to heal but his teammates have already assured me that they'll help him with training."

Rin nodded, relieved. Finally Minato pulled out a small piece of paper with a grin. "Now you already know how to dissipate illusions," Minato said. "Which is good but if Kurenai's technique uses a higher amount of chakra than you have then you're in trouble. Worse case scenario is that you'll be stuck in an illusion battle, so that's one thing you want to avoid."

Rin bit her lip. After Minato had told her the Yuhi clan were illusion specialists she knew she was in trouble. Kurenai would most likely be able to see through her illusion techniques, which was one of Rin's main offensive moves.

"Now what's an illusion user's weakness?" Minato asked her.

"Close combat," Rin answered as she remembered her academy lessons. "Most illusion users rely on ambush. Engaging them in close combat gives little room for them to prepare a good illusion."

"Exactly," Minato smiled. He handed the piece of paper. "Which is why we're going to find out what your elemental chakra nature is. With a sufficient number of attacks Kurenai won't have a chance to use her illusions. Usually it takes months to master an element, but with your chakra control and lots of hard work I'm sure you'll have one reliable attack to hide up your sleeve. Now, just channel your chakra into the paper."

Feeling slightly apprehensive, Rin held the piece of paper and concentrated. Within moments the paper sagged with moisture.

"Water affinity," Minato said, looking interested. "That's good because that's my second affinity now we just-" He stopped in mid sentence and an all too familiar look crossed his face. Minato's eyes glazed over and he stared off into space.

"Um Sensei?" Rin sighed. Minato-sensei was always prone to spacing out and falling into daydreams. Unfortunately Obito wasn't there to yell and snap him back into reality.

"Water affinity… Excellent chakra control…" Minato muttered, with a slow smile.

"Sensei?" Rin repeated, now slightly worried.

Minato's eyes suddenly focused. "Be here tomorrow at nine," he grinned. "In the meantime I want you to do lots of physical exercise to build up your stamina. So try running the perimeter of Konoha." Then he body flickered away, leaving Rin speechless.

* * *

><p>Team 9 sat on a bench outside a small restaurant sipping tea as their sensei, Umino Fune, began to wander off on one of his tangents about his son.<p>

"See how big Iruka is now?" He smiled, whipping out a photograph from his flak jacket. "Almost six years old now. How time flies." Fune's eyes misted over as he shoves the photograph in his students' faces.

Kurenai smiled but Asuma inwardly groaned. It had been only last week since they saw little Iruka.

"Sensei," he said, trying not to roll his eyes.

"And he'll be starting academy soon too," Fune continued, as he waved the photo in front of Kurenai's face. "I'm going to teach him how to throw shruiken to give him a head start. I hope he makes he lots of friends, you know how dreadful academy can be especially these days and-"

"Sensei!" Asuma said, snatching the photo from his doting instructor.

Fune chuckled and scratched his head. "Sorry Asuma," he said sheepishly. Asuma handed the photo back and Fune carefully slipped it back into his pocket.

"Now," Fune said his face becoming serious. "Congratulations on passing the second exam. I'll admit I was apprehensive about nominating you to enter the exams initially but now, you've proved me wrong."

Asuma grinned. He hadn't cared about the dangers surrounding the exams. All he wanted was for people to recognise him not as the Hokage's son but as Sarutobi Asuma.

"Now Ebisu is still in hospital," Fune continued. "But first I want to talk about your opponents."

Asuma's face twisted into a grimace. That night in the Forest of Death had been one of the scariest in his life. The Kusa team had ambushed them and before Team 9 could escape Ryuu, the boy wearing the hat, attacked Ebisu with his technique. Asuma shuddered at the memory. They had been lucky to escape with just those injuries.

"Now you've already face the Kusa team," Fune said. "So Asuma you'll have some idea how the Kusa girl's movements work. Remember when it comes to nature elements Kusa nins usually have either earth or water chakra. Wind nature is rare so she probably won't expect it."

Asuma nodded. Focusing his wind chakra was hard work but he was desperate to make his father proud.

"Now Rin is a bit of an enigma," Fune admitted to Kurenai. "Minato's been extremely secretive about his team, but then he's always been shy so he rarely is in the jonin lounge. We already know that she has some knowledge of medical techniques. That takes up a lot of precise chakra control so she'll most likely be an illusion type ninja. You'll have the advantage, Kurenai."

Kurenai nodded but she looked slightly uncomfortable. Asuma understood why. They owed Team 7 one for helping them out.

"But Minato's always been one for surprising people," Fune said and he scratched his goatee thoughtfully. "Rin will most likely have something up her sleeve, so you should be working on a new technique."

"My father is back from a mission so he's offered to train me," Kurenai said.

Fune nodded approvingly, "We'll train together to strengthen your taijutsu as well."

Asuma drained his cup of tea and his eyes wandered over to the path of people strolled by. He watched as children chattered excitedly to their parents and for a brief moment he wondered what it would be like to have a father who wasn't the Hokage.

Then two people caught his eye. Obito and Kakashi. The memory of Obito giving his scroll away flashed in Asuma's mind.

"Be right back," Asuma said to Fune and Kurenai. He left the bench and ran over to them.

"How do you eat so fast?" Asuma heard Obito say to Kakashi as he approached.

"By chewing," Kakashi told his teammate dryly.

"Obito?" Asuma said awkwardly. The two stopped talking and looked at him.

Asuma fidgeted on the spot uncomfortably. The memories of teasing Obito back in academy were all too fresh in his mind. Sure it had been Genma who had led Obito's victimisation. But Asuma had been one of the people who had snickered each time Obito failed to answer a simple question correctly. He had called Obito a crybaby with the others and had laughed when Genma 'accidentally' tripped Obito up on numerous occasions.

Sickened by his past actions, Asuma had vowed to make amends. "Your opponent, the boy from Kusa, Ryuu," Asuma said to his shoes, as he attempted to avoid Obito and Kakashi's stares.

"What about him?" Obito asked, scowling a little.

Asuma could feel Kakashi's gaze boring into him. He glanced at the White Fang's son, not wanting to be intimidated by those cold eyes. Kakashi had always been a strange person to Asuma. His almost freakish talent attracted envy and stares among the other ninja. In a way, Asuma could relate to Kakashi. They shared the same pains of living up to their fathers' legends. Though, Kakashi was a lot closer to it than he was.

"He's dangerous," Asuma said to Obito. "Really dangerous. It was his attack that hit Ebisu… But I think he was only playing with us."

Asuma suppressed a shudder then he remembered something. "He's left handed," he added keenly.

Kakashi continued to remain silent as Obito processed this information. Finally he asked Asuma, "Why are you telling me this? We're competing against each other after all."

Asuma grinned, "I owe you one. Anyway it's like you said. We're all ninjas from Konoha, we all possess the Will of Fire!"

Obito's eyes widened but his face suddenly split into a grin. "Thanks, Asuma!" He said.

Satisfied, Asuma gave them a wave and ran back to join Kurenai and Fune. He slipped back onto the bench. Fune glanced over curiously at Obito and Kakashi who had resumed their journey.

"What was that about?" He asked.

Asuma glanced at Kurenai who gave him an understanding smile. "It's nothing sensei," Asuma grinned. "Just making friends."

* * *

><p>Kushina was always used to people staring at her hair. Back in academy her fellow students had laughed at the unusual colour and even now Kushina found it hard to look at tomatoes in the same way. She had hated the hideous crimson colour. It'd reminded of everything that she'd wished to forget. It'd been a flare to her fellow students that she was an outsider, a foreigner. The long tangled tresses were flags of her lost clan that was scattered around the globe, just a mere memory of Whirlpool that was swallowed by the ocean.<p>

No wonder she had taken a rusty kunai to her hair after her first day of academy. But just to spite her, it grew back fast and thick. No matter how many times Kushina had hacked at it, it always seeped out from her scalp like weeds from the ground. In the end Kushina had given up. Like the Kyubi's chakra, she let it shroud her in anger and isolation.

Of course, irony was a strange thing. Puberty struck Kushina late and when it hit, it really hit her hard. The childhood roundness melted away and her body transformed into a willowy figure. Suddenly Kushina was an exotic beauty. Men gaped at her in the street and women sighed in envy.

It was funny but only one person had ever complimented her hair. But then… Minato wasn't exactly what you'd call normal. He always had a strange obsession with her hair that almost bordered on a fetish, much to Kushina honour and amusement.

Right now however, Kushina was not happy with her hair.

"It's so long," She moaned, as she sat in Mikoto's sitting room.

Mikoto was sitting next to her on the sofa, mending one of Obito's shirts.

On the floor Itachi gurgled as he happily played with a soft toy Kushina had bought for him. The toy was a painfully bright orange cat, with a bright red bow tied around its neck and a rather forlorn expression upon it's face. As soon as Mikoto saw it she'd burst out laughing. Admittedly the main deciding factor to buying the toy was because Kushina took a strange sadistic pleasure in seeing Fugaku scowl. Then again, Itachi absolutely loved his gift. When Fugaku attempted to part him from his new toy, Itachi had burst into tears.

"And look," Kushina said as she held up her hair for Mikoto to see. "Split ends."

Mikoto sighed and said, "Why don't you get it cut then? It's almost to your waist."

The thought about having her hair completely shorn off had occurred to Kushina. It was annoying having it so long. It was a chore to dry, brush and condition. Not to mention the state it was in after she returned from a mission. But…

_"I noticed your beautiful hair right away."_

Kushina blushed. Maybe she would just have it trimmed. She heard Mikoto giggle and she sent a scowl at her friend.

Kushina knelt down next to Itachi and picked up the cat. Grinning, she made the cat pounce and prowl around Itachi.

"Have you given him a name yet, Itachi?" She said as he laughed. "What's his name?"

"Shissy," Itachi said, pointing at the cat.

"Shissy," Kushina said, nodding. "I see… A wise choice, Itachi, a wise choice."

"He named it after Shisui," Mikoto laughed as Kushina handed Shissy back to Itachi, who promptly began to chew on the poor cat's tail.

"Shisui?" Kushina asked. "The boy who lives with Kakashi's teammate?"

Mikoto nodded, "He's a very lively boy, a lot like Obito actually. The two could easily be mistaken for brothers. The clan has high hopes for Shisui. We're hoping that he'll graduate by the time he's six."

Kushina grunted. She had never particularly agreed with Mikoto marrying Fugaku at such a young age. Marrying into the Uchiha clan was an honour, especially with the danger that their children might not have the sharingan. Not to mention that Mikoto had given up her career as a ninja just to raise Itachi.

"Obito's very happy about making the final round," Mikoto changed the subject. Kushina's face melted into a smile as she saw pride on her friend's face.

"Kakashi's pleased for Obito and Rin," Kushina told her. "Well… When I asked he shrugged and said 'alright' which is extremely enthusiastic in Kakashi language."

Mikoto laughed and said, "I'm glad to hear that he's opening up more now."

Kushina grinned as she thought of Kakashi.

Suddenly a loud rapping echoed through the house. "Mikoto!" A man's voice called. "Mikoto!"

"Fugaku's colleagues," Mikoto mouthed at Kushina who rolled her eyes. She stood and called, "Coming!"

Kushina continued to sit on the floor with Itachi as she danced Shissy up and down, while listening to what was going on at the front door.

"We found him lurking at the entrance," a gruff voice said and Kushina raised an eyebrow. Shissy performed a pirouette, causing Itachi to giggle.

"Oh he's a friend," she heard Mikoto laugh. "It's fine, honestly. He's also an acquaintance of Fugaku's. Please come in. Would you like some tea?"

"No thank you," Kushina heard the Uchiha member snort.

There're more mutterings and the front door slid shut. Mikoto continued to apologise to the person.

"It's fine, honestly," the unexpected visitor assured her. "It's my fault for turning up uninvited."

Kushina dropped Shissy. She recognised that voice. Her cheeks heated up and her eyes widened. Mentally, she slapped herself for acting like a love struck teenager.

"Kushina! We have a visitor!" Mikoto announced as they stepped into the room.

"Hey Kushina," Minato said.

"Hi Minato," Kushina said, picking up the garish cat and handing him back to Itachi. She stood to face him.

"I'll just make some tea," Mikoto said all too innocently, as she walked over and scooped Itachi and Shissy up. Hastily, she backed out of the room leaving Kushina and Minato alone.

"So what brings you to the Uchiha compound?" Kushina asked Minato casually.

"Oh, you know… I just fancied a stroll," Minato grinned. The grin infected Kushina and she found herself smiling.

"Really?" She said, raising an eyebrow. "I see… Slacking off then? I expected you to be a better sensei."

"I'm not slacking off!" Minato said quickly. "You see I was thinking…"

"Ah," Kushina nodded. She knew that when Minato started 'thinking' he tended to wander off in a daze.

Minato rumpled his hair sheepishly, "No what I mean is, Rin discovered her primary elemental affinity today. It's water."

Not really knowing what Minato was getting at, Kushina nodded, she was all too used to Minato brilliant but strange ideas.

"So," Minato continued. "I remembered that your primary affinity is water too! Seeing as you're from Whirlpool and I recalled that the water techniques you use are Whirlpool's specialities… So…"

"So you want me to train Rin," Kushina finished. "Minato, you know my speciality is sealing not water techniques. Anyway… Some of those water techniques require _a lot_ of chakra and they're unique to Whirlpool."

"Exactly!" Minato grinned. "Think about it Kushina. By teaching Rin those techniques you're keeping them alive. Rin has amazing chakra control and intelligence so she'll be able to pick up the techniques. Not to mention that thanks to the team gelling well together it's given her confidence as well as good training in the basics. It just has to be one simple technique, nothing A-rank standard."

Having someone learn Whirlpool techniques was certainly very appealing to Kushina, since it had always been a fear to her that her village would be forgotten. Not to mention, if Rin developed well enough Kushina may be able to teach her some sealing techniques when she's older… The idea of having an apprentice to pass down that knowledge made Kushina's heart leap.

Rin was a sweet girl. Kushina had met her in passing a couple of times. She was clearly besotted with Kakashi though she didn't let her infatuation affect her actions. Rin was always fair to both Obito and Kakashi, something that Kushina admired. She hated people who played favourites.

"Fine," Kushina huffed, pretending to be annoyed. "I'll do it but you owe me one, ok?"

Minato beamed at her and answered, "I knew you would, thank you, Kushina."

Kushina shrugged and pushed her hair out of her eyes. "Make sure you come and check on her," she said to him. "I don't want you paying attention _just_ to Obito."

"I will," Minato assured her. "Kakashi's offered to help with their taijutsu and weaponry skills too."

Kushina nodded. The chunin exams were such a chore, but then they were a replacement of war. Dark thoughts crept into Kushina's head. The stalemate between Suna and Iwa wouldn't last forever.

But Minato's voice broke Kushina's brooding. "This evening, do you want to get something to eat?" He asked.

Kushina rolled her eyes, "Idiot. You know you can just come round for dinner, Kakashi won't mind."

Again Minato thanked her. It was a rather annoying habit of his, to profusely thank or apologise to people. No wonder people used to underestimate him, back in academy.

"Rin will be in the third training grounds at nine tomorrow," Minato told her.

Kushina gave him a rather evil grin and said, "I'll look forward to it."

* * *

><p>"Can you juggle?" As soon as Obito heard that question, he rubbed his eyes furiously.<p>

"Can you juggle, loser?" Kakashi repeated, adding on an insult for good measure.

Obito scowled, "What has that got to do with anything?"

The two of them stood in a small forest clearing near the Uchiha compound, one of Obito favourite spots to train. After that weird conversation with Asuma they had headed there.

"So you can't," Kakashi said. "Figures."

Obito bristled at Kakashi's annoying, all knowing attitude. "What's that supposed to mean?" He retorted.

Kakashi drew four kunai and one after the other he flung them into the air. Mesmerised Obito stared, open mouthed, as Kakashi began to juggle with the deadly blades. They soared in a flashing cycle, higher and higher as Kakashi snatched the kunai and flung them once more into the air.

"Juggling improves dexterity and co-ordination," Kakashi said casually. His eyes flicked from the blades to glance at Obito. "Think about it. If you can do this without even thinking, think about how much you'll improve in battle."

Reluctantly Obito thought about it and it actually made a lot of sense. It also partly explained Kakashi's skill. Kakashi then shifted his stance slightly, and one by one he caught and threw the kunai into a nearby tree.

Obito glanced at the kunai that were neatly embedded in a row. Immediately he wanted to try juggling.

"You can try that in your spare time," Kakashi told him as he went to retrieve the kunai. "Just try with two balls, _not_ blades. Stay focused and you'll eventually find a rhythm."

Obito nodded as Kakashi replaced the kunai back into his weapons pouch. "Let's train!" He grinned.

Without warning, Kakashi suddenly launched himself at Obito, the White Fang flashing in his hand. If Obito hadn't jumped back Kakashi would have beheaded him with one swift strike.

"Ah watch it!" Obito cried.

"You think Ryuu will just sit around for you to prepare yourself?" Kakashi snorted as he leapt at Obito.

Cursing, Obito bunched his muscles and jumped high into a tree. He knew it would be stupid to engage Kakashi in weaponry combat. When it came to speed and agility, Kakashi was already nearing jonin level. His teammate also was far superior in ninja techniques and probably had an illusion technique up his sleeve too.

_Think!_ He thought furiously to himself as he rubbed his eyes. _Damn it… I wish I had my goggles…_

He slapped his cheeks in the effort to concentrate. That was it! All Obito had to do was somehow disarm Kakashi and catch him in a taijutsu battle. The prodigy was smaller than him, so Obito had a height and weight advantage.

Grinning, Obito saw a bush rustle below. Forming seals with ease he yelled, "Fire style: Great fireball technique!"

The flames roared and incinerated the foliage below. A white streak flew out and a shower of shruikens sailed towards Obito. Leaping out of the tree, Obito threw down a smoke bomb and retreated into the undergrowth.

Not wasting a moment he threw in an explosive tag for a good measure. The small blast shook the clearing and as the smoke began to clear he could make out a silhouette still standing. With a cry, Obito burst out from the bush and charged at Kakashi. He was taken by surprise as Obito landed a blow to Kakashi face but his teammate disappeared with a puff of smoke.

"Huh?" Obito said stupidly. "A shadow clone?"

Instinct made him whirl round, just in time as Kakashi appeared. For a moment Obito eyed the chakra sabre then he suddenly grinned and dived to the side. He leapt, aiming a powerful roundhouse kick at Kakashi's side.

Kakashi ducked to avoid the blow but Obito did something totally unexpected. He leap-frogged over Kakashi, whirled around and delivered a blow to his arm causing his teammate to drop the White Fang.

For a split second Kakashi's eyes widened as he realised Obito's intentions. He spun to avoid Obito's punch.

Most ninjas used the academy taijutsu as a foundation so Kakashi usually found their movements predictable. Obito however used the Uchiha style, which was a strong, fluid combination that used a series of powerful kicks. Though there was an added 'Obito flare' to the style, as the attacks seemed to be mostly improvised and at random. Kakashi, though, had trained with Kushina enough times to be used to unpredictable attacks.

Kakashi feinted to the right but Obito jumped and sent a kick in response. Inside Obito was grinning. He was actually matching Kakashi!

But Obito's glee soon evaporated as Kakashi suddenly dropped to aim a low blow to his gut. Obito dived back in the effort to avoid the attack but it was too late.

In those precious few moments Kakashi had scooped the White Fang from the ground and he charged at Obito. Taken by surprise, he attempted to dodge Kakashi's attack but his teammate had the advantage and it was all over.

In a matter of seconds Obito felt the White Fang press gently against his throat.

"Nice try," Kakashi said and though bitterly disappointed Obito was slightly pleased that his teammate was out of breath. "Taijutsu is my weakness but you got too complacent." He sheathed the chakra sabre and added, "If you're complacent you're not going to survive in the arena."

Obito scowled, he knew Kakashi had a point but still… Kakashi, Rin, Minato-sensei and the entire Uchiha clan… For most of his young life he had strived for people to recognise him for whom he was. Not Obito, the failure, the black sheep of the Uchiha clan. Though things had been improving since he had joined Team 7, it still wasn't enough.

"Damn it," he growled and he jabbed a finger at Kakashi. "I don't care that you're supposed to be some once in a generation genius or that you're a chunin. Hey, I don't care anymore that you're the White Fang's son."

Kakashi's eyes widened at Obito's statement but he kept going. The feeling rising up in Obito's chest was ready burst. "But once I get my sharingan I will surpass you," Obito said as he glared at him. "People will be forced to recognise me for who I am, even you Kakashi."

A breeze swept past them as Kakashi stared at him in silence. He didn't laugh or roll his eyes or walk away like Obito had expected. Instead he said something completely unexpected, "Do any of the Sannin have bloodline limits?"

Obito blinked. Hard. "What?" He spluttered. Kakashi was as weird as Minato-sensei sometimes.

"Does Jiraiya have a bloodline limit?" Kakashi persisted.

"No…" Obito replied slowly, as he thought about it.

"Tsunade?"

"No."

"Orochimaru?"

"Don't think so," Obito replied, wondering what Kakashi was implying.

Kakashi looked at him with an unfathomable expression. "You know," he said softly. "Minato-sensei doesn't have a bloodline limit… My Dad… He didn't have one either, so nor do I. Bloodlines limits, sure they're powerful things but users usually rely on them to such an extent it opens up weaknesses. A true ninja doesn't rely on one skill or technique… So stop using your lack of sharingan as an excuse."

The last part stung but Obito gaped at him as the realisation hit home. Kakashi turned and began to walk away from the clearing when, he suddenly stopped.

"Stop chasing a legend, Obito," Kakashi called over his shoulder, with an odd look in his eyes. "Become one."

Suddenly a whole new wave of possibilities washed over him. The weight he had been carrying with him for his entire life suddenly lessened. Obito's brain struggled to comprehend to magnitude of what's been pointed out to him. The sharingan... Was it really not that important? The thought was totally alien to Obito yet... It made sense.

He stared as Kakashi faded into the trees. Those seven words Kakashi had just uttered… They would stay with Obito for the rest of his life.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: The last part was probably ridiculously cheesy but oh well... I hope you liked the chapter anyway!**


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"_Stop chasing a legend, Obito," Kakashi called over his shoulder with an odd look in his eyes. "Become one."_

Obito sat on the roof of Uchiha bakery as he watched the morning light slowly filter in from the horizon. The sweet smell of freshly baked bread wafted up from the bakery chimney, causing Obito's mouth to water. For a brief moment he visualised Auntie Uruchi's beautiful golden loaves. The way the crust crunched as you tore the bread in two, releasing a waft of steam from the soft insides.

Obito shook his head. He had more important things to think about than food. Kakashi's words had echoed around his mind for the entire night and he'd given up on sleep a few hours ago.

The sharingan was everything to the Uchiha clan. To awaken the bloodline limit was when the clan truly accepted you as a member. To not care about awakening the sharingan… Well that was a good as turning your back on the clan. But… Kakashi was right. None of Obito's heroes had bloodline limits. He _did _use his lack of sharingan as an excuse.

Obito's thoughts turned to the other techniques the Uchiha clan used. There were plenty of fire techniques, of course, but those used a huge amount of chakra that most genin didn't possess. There were plenty of illusion techniques too that didn't require the sharingan. However, most of these techniques were locked away in the section of the Uchiha library that could only be accessed by sharingan users.

"There must be something…" Obito muttered into the cool morning air. He gazed out over the Uchiha compound, staring at the Naka River that snaked near the walls below. Peaceful mornings were always rare for Obito. Usually he was scrabbling out of bed and tearing through the Uchiha compound to meet his team. It was nice to just sit back for once and watch the world slowly wake from its slumber.

Then… Slowly… An idea began to form inside Obito's head. The summoning technique… The White Fang had obviously passed it down to Kakashi when he was younger.

Obito's shoulders sagged. There was no way Uncle Fugaku would teach him the summoning technique. The contract with the ninja cats was a great honour; one that was usually awarded after you had awakened the sharingan.

Obito let out a groan of frustration. There was no way round it. To get anywhere in the clan he _needed_ the sharingan. Even if by some miracle he managed to persuade Fugaku to pass down the summoning contract there was a slight problem… Obito hated cats. The summons he occasionally saw in the compound hissed and spat at him, not to mention one time one vicious animal had almost mauled him.

Despite people's impressions of him, Obito was not a stupid person. There were reasons to why Obito had taken to wearing goggles around the Uchiha compound. One they looked cool, two an Uchiha's greatest weapon was his eyes so the goggles ensured some protection from the elements as well as attacks. Three, the tinted surface was acted as prevention against simple illusions or any techniques that required eye contact. Four… Obito was allergic to cats. Their fur made Obito's eyes itch and turn bloodshot, until eventually his vision was totally impaired from tears.

Yep. Obito was well and truly an outcast from the Uchiha clan.

_"Stop chasing a legend, Obito… Become one."_

"Ah that's easy for you to say, Kakashi!" Obito cried out, tugging at his hair. "You're-"

He stopped in mid sentence and his eyes widened. Sensei had trained with Jiraiya… And everyone knew what Jiraiya's summoning was.

If Obito learned the summoning technique, won the fight against Ryuu and became a chunin… Surely the clan would overlook the fact that he had a summoning contract with a different animal?

Obito stood up with renewed determination. Screw the consequences. He would deal with them later.

With an excited leap he clattered onto the path below. A slow grin stretched its way across Obito's face, but just as he was about to set off the scent of bread wafted up his nose.

His stomach rumbled and Obito clutched his belly. Maybe he would find Minato-sensei later. Food was pretty important after all.

* * *

><p>Kakashi strolled down the streets of the Konoha, as the village began to show small signs wakening up. Shopkeepers were starting to open their doors and villagers were sleepily setting off to work. Kakashi never believed in lie-ins, so he always got up early to make the most of his day. To his surprise however, Kushina had already set off somewhere. When she had a day off she usually spent most of the morning lazing around in bed reading scrolls.<p>

"_I don't care that you're supposed to be some once in a generation genius or that you're a chunin. Hey, I don't care anymore that you're the White Fang's son."_

The truth was… As soon as Obito had told Kakashi that, he had begun to recognise his teammate. That's why he had tried to open Obito's eyes to the fact that the sharingan was not the all-superior bloodline limit everyone made it out to be.

Being a child prodigy was not what it was made out to be. Kakashi's year in academy had been annoying, lonely and at times, excruciating. Jealous of his talent the older children had bullied Kakashi in his first weeks. The small five year old had been tripped up, his chair pulled out when he was about to sit down and his lunches were always stolen. Occasionally, in class, girls would giggle and ask him for help. The older ones were the worst. They pinched his cheeks, cooed over him and tried to feed him disgusting sweets.

It was only after Kakashi had beaten an eight-year-old bully to a pulp had the other kids left him alone, even the girls. His status as a genius had left Kakashi isolated. He found it impossible to make friends. For most of his academy lunchtimes Kakashi had sat on the swing, as he watched the other children. He remembered that Sakumo, though frequently out on missions, had worried about his son.

Whispers had followed Kakashi for his entire life. Though a little embarrassed he hadn't minded when they were about his ability but after his dad died they only got worse…

"Poor thing, I heard he's already lost his mother too."

"Such a handsome young boy… So tragic about his father."

"The White Fang was a true hero, I bet his son will be too. I heard he was the youngest child ever to graduate from academy."

That was just a small portion of the whispers Kakashi heard every day. No wonder he found it so hard to communicate with people.

The funeral had been the most excruciating thing he had ever experienced in his young life. The shock that his dad, his idol, who had always appeared to be immortal in Kakashi's eyes, was gone had rendered him numb. The entire day had been a washed out blur.

The sun had shone spitefully down on the mourners as the Hokage had given a dreary speech as some people pretended to cry. The only people who actually cared and cried real tears had been Kushina, Minato and Jiraiya. Even Kakashi found it impossible to cry. He'd just stood with Jiraiya's hands on his shoulders, unable to speak and barely able to breath.

There had been so many people that Kakashi didn't know, clan heads, councillors and many other ninja whom he'd never seen before. After the funeral had finished so many people had approached them. Attempted to ruffle his hair and give their condolences. Kakashi didn't even see them and their words had been reduced to tinny, irritating sounds. The worst had been his dad's teammates, the ones who had abandoned him. They had the _nerve_ to talk to him after abandoning his father to the Iwa nins. To Kakashi, that was unforgivable no matter what the ninja code dictated.

Kakashi sighed as he cut through a rather affluent area of Konoha, past the beautifully kept gardens, as the owners stepped out of their houses.

He had been furious when Minato had informed him, almost a year ago, that two teammates would join their team. Two newly graduated genin would just slow him down; at least that's what Kakashi had thought. The idea of being in a team had filled him with a cold fear, since the memory of the White Fang's team leaving Sakumo to his fate was always on Kakashi's mind. But now…

Kakashi glanced at the sky and a small ghost of a smile crept upon his lips. Obito and Rin. They'd improved so much over the past months and it seemed teamwork meant a lot to them. It turned out that they weren't scum after all like his dad's teammates. With a jolt, Kakashi wondered if this was what it felt like to have friends.

Suddenly Kakashi glanced to his left as he sensed a presence hiding in a bush.

He frowned, knowing that no self-respecting ninja would hide so conspicuously. The person must be an academy student or something…

But Kakashi was proved horribly wrong and the bush exploded.

"Ahah! Hatake Kakashi, I have found you, my eternal rival!" Leaves showered Kakashi and his assailant blocked his path.

Kakashi blinked. A boy, with the bushiest eyebrow he had ever seen, stood before him in a scarily tight bodysuit. He waved his surprisingly shiny black hair and gave Kakashi a painfully bright smile.

Kakashi checked his chakra, which was functioning as normal. Sadly this wasn't an illusion. He groaned, wondering which god he had angered to deserve this.

The boy pointed at Kakashi, "I challenge you to a fight, my rival! A fight to end all glorious fights where our flames of youth shall shine so brightly, it will hurt the eyes of un-youthful passers by."

Bemused, Kakashi stared at the boy wondering why he looked so awfully familiar and why, for some god forsaken reason, he was calling Kakashi his 'rival'.

"Who… Are you?" Kakashi finally managed, as he attempted to gather his thoughts.

The boy did a comic double take and his jaw dropped to the floor. "Gah!" He cried and manly tears sparkled in his eyes. "You are so cool, Kakashi! Just what I expect of my rival! Very well I shall introduce myself."

The boy jabbed his thumb and proclaimed, "Some know me as the genius of hard work, and others know me as Konoha's Noble Gentleman! Girls faint at my handsome, manly features and boys are envious of my flame of youth! My name is Maito Gai and I am your eternal rival, Kakashi!"

After his all too frightening introduction, Gai gave Kakashi a thumbs up and blindingly flashy smile. He was bouncing on the spot with so much enthusiasm it made Kakashi feel ill.

For once in his life, Kakashi was lost for words. All he could do was stare and wonder if this was some kind of joke Obito had set up.

Then, he remembered why Gai was familiar. He was that insane genin who'd launched himself off the balcony to get the scroll in the first exam.

"Aren't you supposed to be training for the final exam right now?" Kakashi said.

"Ha ha, nice try Kakashi, but you cannot escape from our inevitable dual!" Gai laughed. "The winds of Konoha have long foretold our youthful clash."

Kakashi suppressed the urge to detonate one of his exploding tags. This guy clearly had lost his sanity a long time ago or never had any to begin with. He decided the best course of action was just to ignore him. Yes, Gai was like a small child. Just ignore him and he'll stop pestering you.

Just as Kakashi was about to turn, something stopped him. "The genius… Of hard work, huh?" Kakashi muttered and Gai grinned. He thought of how Obito had caught him out yesterday. Maybe... Maybe he should give crazy people like Gai a chance. After all, look at Obito. He might be surprised.

After a moments thought, as Gai buzzed with excitement, Kakashi finally said, "So… What challenge did you have in mind?"

* * *

><p>"Mastering an element usually takes months of hard training," Rin read aloud as she studied the scroll in her lap. "For higher level ninja techniques, a large quantity of chakra is required." She glanced to her left at the river burbling pleasantly. This was a good place to learn a water technique<p>

After training yesterday Rin had decided to borrow a scroll from the library, which contained some simple water techniques. The first technique, water rapids, only required a few seals. Though it would deliver minor bruising, the technique would be a good distraction against Kurenai.

Rin looked up from the scroll and frowned. Minato-sensei was uncharacteristically late. He said to meet at the third training grounds at nine and it was already half past. Rin frowned and wondered if Obito was rubbing off on Minato-sensei.

She sighed and continued to study the scroll when suddenly a shadow loomed over the parchment. Rin glanced up and her mouth fell open at the dark figure towering above her.

"Water rapids, eh?" The person said. Their voice sounded mildly amused and Rin found herself shrinking. Pale, slender hands swooped down and snatched the scroll from Rin's lap.

"H-hey," Rin gulped and she stumbled to her feet. "I… That's..." The words die away as her eyes meet with wild blue ones.

The woman was beautiful in Rin's eyes with her exotic crimson locks that were scraped into an elegant bun and a wonderful complexion that most women would die for. Even her voice was striking. Though loud, it held a melodic tone and there was a strange accent that blurred her vowels. However it was the way she held herself, a strong and confident posture that Rin could only dream of. Never, in a million years, could Rin imagine being this beautiful and confident.

Yet amongst all the beauty there's something almost feral in her eyes. The blue-green irises swirled with an uncontrollable energy that reminded Rin slightly of Obito. Like the ocean the woman's eyes held so much depth that Rin found herself drowning on the spot.

"I'm Uzumaki Kushina," she introduced herself. "We've met before."

Rin nodded, remembering seeing Kushina with Kakashi a few times. For a brief second she wondered how they knew each other.

"K-Nohara… Rin…" She mumbled, frustrated that she felt so intimidated by Kushina.

She suddenly felt a sharp cuff round the head and Kushina said sternly, "Don't stutter. People will think that you're weak."

Blushing, Rin meekly nodded. "Sorry…" She whispered. Her apology was met by another whack round the head.

"Don't apologise, it's a sign of weakness," Kushina said. Rin stared at the floor, trying her best not to even move.

"Hmm…" Kushina said as she studied the scroll with a scowl. Suddenly she scrunched the scroll up into a ball and hurled it into a bush.

"You don't want to be learning that mainstream rubbish," she said cheerfully, as Rin gaped at her. What would she tell the librarian?

"I'm… Meant to meet... Minato-sensei," Rin told her as she tried her best not to stutter.

"Minato huh?" Kushina said thoughtfully. "Nope you don't want _him_ teaching you water techniques."

"I… Don't?" Rin said as Kushina turned on her heel and began to walk away from the river.

"Nope!" Kushina called. "Are you coming are what?"

Casting one last glance at where Kushina had thrown the scroll, Rin followed her with hesitant steps. She'd just have to collect the scroll later.

Kushina stopped at the centre of the training grounds and turned to face Rin. "Now," Kushina said. "Is it true that you need a water source nearby to perform a water technique?"

"Well it strengthens the technique as you're manipulating it," Rin said. "Otherwise you have to create water from your chakra."

"Wrong!" Kushina said. "That's what most people think. Obviously it'll give you an advantage if there's a river next to you. But, there's water _everywhere_."

Rin stared at her. Luckily with her brains, the answer hit her pretty fast. "In the air," she breathed.

"Exactly," Kushina nodded. "Of course you have an advantage in tropical areas but you can also use…" She glanced up at the sky. Following her gaze Rin saw stray clouds littering the sky.

"Clouds?" Rin said in disbelief.

"Clouds," Kushina confirmed with a grin. "Now everyone thought the Second Hokage was an amazing water user, the best. The truth was he knew how to adapt to his surroundings and also… He knew the secret Whirlpool arts."

"Secret… Whirlpool arts?" Rin said. Whirlpool… She vaguely remembered studying Whirlpool Island in academy. Uzushiogakure had been caught up in Kirigakure's bloody civil war and if Rin recalled correctly the village had been destroyed.

"Your average water user who knows boring techniques like water rapids won't know how to draw water from the atmosphere," Kushina told her. "However as someone from Whirlpool, I happen to know the secret water arts."

_Someone from Whirlpool?_ Rin thought in wonder. _That explains the accent._ Suddenly Kushina became even more exciting.

"So want to learn some truly awesome techniques?" Kushina asked.

Rin wavered for a moment. After all Minato was still her jonin instructor. Wouldn't he see it as some kind of betrayal if she started learning from Kushina?

Seeing Rin's hesitation Kushina turned her back on her and began to form several seals. Rin watched with amazement as the air around them began to swirl.

Kushina slammed her hands together and said, "Secret Whirlpool arts: Water style: Ocean's torrent!"

A huge jet of water spurted from Kushina's mouth encasing a tree in a vicious swirling whirlpool. The water spun faster and faster until suddenly the whirlpool imploded. Splinters and misty rain showered Rin as she gaped at Kushina in awe.

"So," Kushina grinned. "Want to learn some Whirlpool techniques?"

Rin found herself fervently nodding. Sadly, she had no idea that she had just signed up to an apprenticeship with Uzumaki Kushina.

* * *

><p>The rest of the month blurred past Team 7 as Obito and Rin trained hard for upcoming exam. Kakashi had found himself strangely left out. Sure he still sparred with Obito and Rin, and since Obito's opponent was left-handed it had given him the chance to train using the chakra sabre in his other hand. However, Rin and Obito were suddenly extremely secretive about what they were working on.<p>

Once Kakashi had heard Minato-sensei asking Obito, "Are you sure it's ok with Fugaku to teach you this?"

To which Obito had replied, "Sure!"

Kakashi wasn't one to ask but even Rin kept him in the dark about her new technique.

"I promised to keep it as a surprise," Rin had told him apologetically. "Sorry, Kakashi-kun."

When Kakashi had muttered something about his teammates hiding things from him to Kushina, she had laughed and told him to just be patient. Though Kakashi had noticed Kushina had also been mysterious lately… Strange.

Even Maito Gai had left him alone. That day with Gai a few weeks ago had been one of the funnest Kakashi had ever had. It was bizarre but true. Though Kakashi had beaten Gai at throwing shruikens, thrashed him at ninja techniques and had defeated him at kunai practice, they had drawn in a taijutsu spar. Kakashi had finally found a challenge.

Sadly, with the final exam fast approaching he hadn't seen Gai since, though the boy had assured him they would have a rematch.

So Kakashi found himself aimlessly strolling through Konoha on the day before the final exam. He wandered over the bridge, past the hot springs when he heard a perverted giggle from above his head.

Frowning Kakashi glanced up to see something wink from the roof on the building opposite the hot springs. He shook his head to himself. Konoha was full of perverts. He continued his way when the giggle floated above his head again causing him to stop. Kakashi recognised that voice.

Hands stuffed in pockets, he casually walked into the alley next to the building. With ease, he channelled the chakra into his feet and walked up the wall. As Kakashi made it onto the gable roof he saw a tall man lying flat on his stomach. He was staring intently into a telescope that was propped up on the ridge of the roof.

Kakashi walked up the roof, sat down next to the man and he leant against the tiles.

"Hello Jiraiya," he said.

The Sannin didn't bother to glance up from his telescope and he replied, "Hello Kakashi, it's been a while."

It certainly has. It's been almost two years since Kakashi last saw Jiraiya at his father's funeral.

"I heard you have some new teammates," Jiraiya said he then chuckled and added to himself, "That's it my beauties… Stretch… That's it!"

Kakashi rolled his eyes. He couldn't believe Jiraiya was still doing his 'research'. His book was probably going to rubbish anyway. Kakashi couldn't see what would be so good if a book had _that _kind of content in it.

"They're ok," Kakashi shrugged.

"Ha ha, I'm glad to hear that you've made friends," Jiraiya said.

Kakashi scowled at Jiraiya's telescope and couldn't help but say, "What's so good about peeping at women anyway?"

"That m'boy," Jiraiya said wisely. "Is something you learn when you hit puberty. Hehe… Women are wonderful, mysterious creatures. We men can't help but be drawn to them!"

Though he was looking forward to growing taller, as far as Kakashi could see puberty reduced you to either a lecherous buffoon or a stuttering moron. He couldn't decide which was worse.

"Move to the left, the left!" Jiraiya grumbled. "Hehe this is excellent research… That's it!" Unfortunately Jiraiya said his last statement a little too loudly and his voice carried across to the hot springs where several tired kunoichi were bathing. Shrill screams echoed to Jiraiya and Kakashi giving them the cue to leave. They skidded off the roof just as a furious barrage of rocks and soap hit them.

"Ahh women," Jiraiya grinned goofily as they sat in the alley.

Kakashi scowled as he picked suds out of his hair. He couldn't see what was so wonderful about women when they were throwing things with killer intent at you.

"Tell you what Kakashi," Jiraiya said as they dusted themselves off. "When you're thirteen you can help with me with my research!" He gave Kakashi a gracious look as if he'd just offered him some fantastic treat.

"No," Kakashi shot down.

"Oh come on," Jiraiya said putting an arm around his shoulder. "Minato was an expert at helping with me with my research when he was your age! It gives you a chance at exercising your subterfuge and spying techniques."

Kakashi, however, was a lot less gullible than Minato was at that age. Luckily he was saved from answering when he heard a familiar voice call, "Sensei?"

Speaking of the devil, Minato appeared at the entrance of the alley and he grinned, "I heard the ruckus so I assumed that you were back."

Jiraiya released Kakashi and the two briefly embraced each other. "I heard you have a fully fledged team now," he grinned at Minato. "I'll look forward to the exam tomorrow."

Minato smiled, "They're a great team, if they pass I'll kind of miss being their sensei." He glanced round at Kakashi and frowned, "Kakashi… Why do you have soap in you hair?"

Minato looked at Jiraiya and then glanced back at Kakashi. He narrowed his eyes, "Sensei… You didn't take Kakashi with you when you were researching, did you?"

"The boy showed some interest!" Jiraiya grinned.

Minato appeared askance and Kakashi replied, "No I didn't."

"Ah you'd be surprised Kakashi," Jiraiya said, giving him a knowledgeable look. "When Sakumo and I were just a little older than you, we were embarking on our first hot springs adventure! Ah that was the life…"

Kakashi and Minato simultaneously stared at Jiraiya in shock. Konoha's White Fang… Had been a pervert in his youth?

"My dad was not a perv," Kakashi said, glaring at Jiraiya. He glanced at Minato in hope, however Jiraiya's revelation seemed to have rendered his sensei speechless.

"Oh he was," Jiraiya chuckled. "He only stopped after he met your mother. She was the only woman for him then. After that all I heard was lectures about how I should treat women with more respect… Respect! I worship women!"

Kakashi felt relieved after hearing that, but he wanted for Jiraiya to tell more stories about his father. There was so much he hadn't asked. So much that he didn't know. His mother was even more of a mystery. All he could remember of her was her scent, a curious mixture of freshly oiled kunai and flowers.

"That… Explains a lot…" Minato muttered, shaking his head incredulously.

"Hmm," Jiraiya said and he glanced up the sky where the sun was shining directly above them. It was already noon. "I better go and report to the Old Man. See you later!"

The Sannin body flickered away leaving Minato and Kakashi in the alley.

It turned out Minato had been trying to find Kakashi so the team could have a special 'good luck' lunch before the exam tomorrow. Kakashi agreed and they set off to Ichiraku's where Obito and Rin were supposed to meet them. Maybe he could find out more about the mysterious training they've been doing. In strange way, he found that he actually didn't mind eating with his team. It was actually fairly amusing each time Obito tried to catch him without his mask.

However little did Kakashi know that after this lunch, the next time Team 7 would sit down together would be five long years later.

* * *

><p>Cloudy days were usually rare in Konoha, but on the day of the final exam the sky was filled with dark foreboding clouds. Kakashi and Kushina pushed their way through the crowds that were chattering their way to the stadium. To the left bookies were shouting the odds, willing the spectators to stake their money.<p>

Kushina stopped and glanced at the bookie stand with interest. Before Kakashi could protest she dragged him to the stand.

"What are the odds for the Uchiha?" A man to their left asked.

"At the moment it's 50/1," the bookie informed him.

"What?" The man said in dismay. "I thought Uchihas were supposed to geniuses!"

"Insider information," the bookie tapped the side of his nose. "If I were you I'd bet on the Kusa boy, Ryuu. Definitely the favourite to win."

Kakashi watched as Kushina scowled and drew a wad of cash and slammed it down onto the counter. Both men jumped, alarmed.

"700 ryo on the Uchiha boy and the same for Nohara Rin," Kushina said, glaring at the bookie.

Behind his mask, Kakashi smiled. Though he hoped his teammates would win, Kushina may lose a lot of money.

"Isn't Nohara's opponent from the Yuhi clan?" The other customer snorted. "I don't fancy your odds."

The bookie however was all too happily writing a ticket for Kushina as he processed her bet. Kushina shot a glare at the other customer, causing the man to turn deathly pale.

"1,000 ryo that Nohara will win and 800 that the Uchiha will draw with his opponent," a voice said from Kushina and Kakashi's right.

Kakashi looked up to see the head of the Nara clan, Nara Shikaku, leaning against the counter with a lethargic expression. Peering over his shoulder was Akimichi Choza and Yamanaka Inoichi.

"I'll bet the same as Shikaku," Choza said and he handed the money over to the gleeful but rather naive bookie.

"Are you crazy?" Inoichi said to his old teammates. "I'll bet 1,000 ryo on the Kusa boy, Shibata Ryuu."

Shikaku shrugged, as did Choza.

Kushina and Kakashi left the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, and headed to the stadium. By the time they climbed the steps to the second tier and sat in the third row, the low sound of thunder was rumbling in the distance.

"Perfect," Kushina sighed happily for some reason.

_Not for Obito, _Kakashi thought glancing up at the swollen sky. _Of all days for it to rain… I hope he has more than just that one fire technique._

Kakashi leant on his knees and peered down as the contestants were gathering in the arena below. As usual there was no sign of Obito, though he could make out Rin standing nervously among the genin. He frowned, wondering where Minato-sensei was too. Luckily Obito had time to arrive since his match was the last. Kakashi hoped for once that that idiot wouldn't be late.

"Oh hello Kushina, Kakashi-kun," a soft voice said. Kakashi glanced up to see Uchiha Mikoto. Next to her was a small boy, of around four or five years of age. His hair was rather like Obito's; it looked like it hadn't seen a comb in months or possibly years. The little boy was staring at Kakashi with open curiosity.

"You must be Shisui," Kushina turned in her seat and smiled at the small boy. "I've heard a lot about you."

_So that's Shisui_, Kakashi thought as he recalled all the anecdotes Obito constantly told them about his little cousin.

Shisui gave Kushina and Kakashi a wide grin that looked remarkably like Obito's. Mikoto and Shisui sat down next to Kushina.

"So where's Itachi?" Kushina asked Mikoto.

"I left him with my parents," Mikoto said, looking anxious. Clearly it was the first time she had left Itachi somewhere.

"Where's the husband?" Kushina said, pulling a face.

"He… Err has clan business to attend to," Mikoto said awkwardly. "Some other clan representatives are coming though."

Kakashi glanced at Mikoto's shifty face and Kushina's scowling one. He wondered what kind of 'business' was demanded from the clan head at a time like this. After all he could see the head of the Hyuga clan sitting on the far side of the stadium.

He stared around at the masses of people gathering in the stadium and couldn't help but compare this with his exam, before other allied villages were allowed to enter genin.

Suddenly he spotted the proctor of the second exam, Mitarashi Imoni, who was sitting two rows below them. Next to Imoni was a boyish looking girl, well at least Kakashi thought the child was a girl. She or he was a small thing; probably a couple of years younger than Kakashi and they had dark, scruffy hair that was remarkably like Mitarashi's.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. Imoni actually had a kid? Though he was a genius, Kakashi wasn't entirely sure how children were made. He knew it had something to do with a man and woman sleeping in the same bed but sensei had been incredibly vague when he asked a few years back. Apparently that was something he should ask when he was older.

Kakashi shook his head to himself, finding it hard to believe that someone actually slept in the same bed as Imoni. Puberty was a strange and scary thing.

As if sensing his gaze Imoni's child glanced over their shoulder and their eyes met with Kakashi's. He'd been right. She was a girl. A girl with an enormous scowl. She glared at Kakashi and stuck her small pink tongue out at him.

Before he could react she whirled back round in her seat. He stared at the back of her head in shock. No one had ever stuck their tongue out at Hatake Kakashi before. The experience though a novel one, wasn't entirely unpleasant. There were too few people who treated Kakashi as a normal human being, so he found himself intrigued by the girl.

Unfortunately someone else had twigged that Kakashi was interested.

"Ooh Kakashi," Kushina said, lowering her voice to a stage whisper. "Found a girl you like?"

"No," Kakashi said quickly, but it was too late.

"Mitarashi's girl?" Kushina grinned. "I _knew _you would go for the loud type of girl."

What was that supposed to mean?

"Hey Shisui," Mikoto joined in, nudging the boy next to her. "Doesn't she attend academy?"

"Yep," Shisui said, as he squinted at the girl. "That's Anko. She's really weird. She just sits by herself in the playground. Ooh wait until I tell Obi-nii! Kakashi and Anko sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"Shut up," Kakashi hissed, glaring. If Obito got wind of a rumour like that it would be the end of the world. Well, it would mean weeks of endless teasing anyway.

Shisui however wasn't deterred. If anything Kakashi's protests seemed to just make him even more gleeful. Kushina wasn't much help either. She was too busy laughing. Even Mikoto was sniggering.

Before Kakashi could threaten Shisui with a kunai the contestants were ushered into the waiting area and the proctor below announced, "The first match is Maito Gai versus Hyuga Ko!"

The crowd roared and, thankfully, Shisui's attention was suddenly riveted on the genin below. The final exam had begun.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I am well aware that betting odds differ in each country. Fractions is the UK version, mainly because I wasn't entirely sure what they did in Japan, though apparently gambling is largely banned over there apart from some national events. To tell you the truth I have never gambled before so I'm not particularly familiar with the process anyway.**

**Hope you liked the chapter and thanks for reading!**


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Chunin exams with allied villages were a relatively new thing that had only been introduced a year and a half ago. The rules were always changing and they depended, it seemed, on whichever proctor was overseeing the examination.

The examiner for the tournament was grizzled man, marked by a jagged scar across his face, who told them in a stern voice that they were to wait in the small room inside the back until they were called forwards for their fight.

"In real life you will not know what your opponent's abilities will be," the proctor, Morino Iwao, told them. Rin didn't exactly agree with his reasoning for this situation but she'd never argue with a heavily built, six-foot jonin.

The silence in the room was taut with apprehension as the genin sat in uncomfortable plastic chairs. It didn't help that the Kusa boy, Hara Dai, was sharpening a vicious looking scythe. Rin glanced at the ashen-faced Ebisu who was sitting the corner with his two teammates. She didn't fancy his chances, especially with that recently recovered leg, though his courage for participating was admirable.

Rin squirmed in her seat as she thought of Obito. Though she had full confidence in her teammate's determination, his punctuality was a completely different matter. She wrung the bottom her shirt with shaking hands. Obito will turn up. Sure he was hopelessly disorganised but he _would_ turn up to the final exam. He had to. This exam meant a lot more to Obito than it did to Rin. Though she'd be gutted not to become a chunin after all the hard work, she knew the exams were a bi-annual event so she could always re-enter. Anyway, there were other ways to becoming a chunin.

Though he never spoke about it, the clan pressures on Obito were obvious from his determination to get the sharingan. Not to mention his rivalry with Kakashi. Obito's desperation to prove himself made Rin's chest ache. His sheer willpower was something she found herself aspiring to. It was weird… But without the strange friendship of Team 7, Rin doubted she would have come as far as she had now.

Biting her lip, Rin glanced over at Obito's opponent, Ryuu, who appeared to be fairly relaxed. Though it was hard to tell since he was leaning against the wall with his straw hat pulled over his eyes. His clothes were of the traditional Kusa style, with the ochre tunic and a mesh shirt beneath. With his calm demeanour he already looked what Rin imagined an experienced Kusa nin to look like.

"Maito Gai and Hyuga Ko," the examiner appeared at the door, jerking Rin from her thoughts.

Gai leapt from his seat with an enthusiastic grin as if Morino Iwao had just offered him a free meal. Ko dragged himself up with a terrified face. Clearly he was not nearly excited as his teammate was. Though Rin didn't blame him. She recalled that though Gai had received the same marks as Obito in his written assessments, when it came to taijutsu Gai was a genius.

Genma who was nervously chewing on a senbon, nodded at his teammates as they disappeared through the door and into the dark corridor.

Feeling slightly sick, Rin closed her eyes in the attempt to regulate her frantic heart. There was a muffled roar from the crowd outside, signalling that the battle had begun.

Kushina's technique had been extremely difficult to master though her mentor had assured her that it'd be one of those 'alright on the night' type of things. Rin wasn't so sure. Whilst training with Kushina she had also continued working at the hospital and reading about medical techniques, since they could help her out of a tight corner.

"Relax," a friendly voice said next to her. Rin jumped in her seat and glanced round at Aoba who offered her a smile.

"Just focus on the fight once you're out there," Aoba told her. "Ignore the crowd." Rin gave him a weak nod as she remembered that Aoba had lost to his teammate, Namiashi Raido, last year in the final exam.

Aoba tilted his head to the side in a questioning manner and Rin wondered what look he was giving her behind those tinted sunglasses of his. Evidently he had taken a leaf out of Obito's book and over the recent month it appeared that Aoba had purchased them to prevent any future attacks on his eyes.

It was hard to pull off red rimmed, tinted shades but Aoba somehow managed it. Perhaps it was the scruffy hair or the lopsided smile.

"Worried about Obito?" He asked.

Rin couldn't help but give him a shaky smile. Aoba was so kind; she couldn't understand why Obito and Kakashi seemed to dislike him. Well Kakashi didn't particularly like anyone other than Team 7 or Kushina but surely Obito would've made friends with Aoba?

"He'll turn up," Rin answered.

The wooden door was abruptly flung open and Gai stepped in accompanied by the examiner. Ko was nowhere to be seen.

"That was quick," Aoba muttered. Rin nodded. Gai couldn't have been out there for more than three minutes.

"Sarutobi Asuma and Ohayashi Mio," Iwao said.

Asuma stood up with a pale but resolute face and he walked out into the corridor. The Kusa girl followed just as her teammate with the scythe snickered "Beat him to a pulp, Mio."

Rin chewed her lip. Above their heads they could hear the shouts of 'oohs' and 'ahhs' from the crowd. Then the sharp hammering of what sounded like pebbles sounded from outside. Rin glanced up the ceiling and frowned. Rain? The clouds had looked pretty ominous this morning. Hopefully luck was on her side.

After a tense seven minutes that was filled with explosions and screams from the crowd, Asuma limped through the door with gash across his forehead and charred clothes. Like Ko, the Kusa girl was nowhere to be seen.

Asuma squelched to his seat and he shook his wet hair so he resembled a bedraggled dog. Rin's guess was correct. It was raining out there and heavily, judging by Asuma's dripping clothes.

As the examiner, Iwao, entered Rin gulped. This was it.

Aoba gave her a reassuring smile as she stood up, her knees shaking slightly. She stared at the concrete floor, not wanting to look at Kurenai.

Iwao turned on his heels and the two girls followed. It would be wrong to say that the light of the arena shone at the exit of the tunnel. No, instead a washed out grey met Rin's eyes and the wind wailed outside.

As soon as she stepped out into the arena cold pellets of water assaulted Rin, soaking her in seconds. The arena was littered with small craters from the two previous rounds and already the ground was starting to turn slick with mud.

Luckily the rain had turned the crowd's noise into a muffled buzz and Rin felt as if she was underwater. She didn't dare look up at the masses of people above.

Instead Rin decided send a burst of warm chakra through her body, so her muscles wouldn't become stiff from the cold. She squinted against the rain at Kurenai, who had her dark hair sensibly tied up in a ponytail. Already her opponent was standing opposite her.

Rin shifted into her taijutsu stance, an evolved version of the academy one. It hadn't just been Whirlpool techniques she'd been learning over the past month. Rin had also sparred with Kushina. Though Kushina'd been almost brutal and unrelenting, Rin had unconsciously absorbed some of the Whirlpool taijutsu style every time her new tutor corrected her stance.

"Nohara Rin versus Yuhi Kurenai," Morino Iwao yelled over the rain. "Start!"

The examiner leapt away and Rin jumped into action.

She rushed at Kurenai and sent out a spinning kick. Kurenai ducked, aiming a right cross at Rin who blocked it with her forearm. She suddenly grabbed Kurenai's wrist, twisting it in a brutal fashion that she had learnt off Kushina, causing the other girl to wince.

Wanting to end this quickly, Rin seized the advantage and aimed a punch to Kurenai's nose but stopped in mid air.

Her eyes glazed over and she stared in fascination. The rain… It was so beautiful. Each droplet sparkled before Rin's eyes and fell with a wonderful grace. Water… Had it always been this entrancing? Every colour imaginable glinted in each jewel like drop.

Rin jerked, gave her head a violent shake and cried, "Release!"

She glanced around, water wildly flicking from her hair. Where was Kurenai? She was just-

Bam. An acute pain slammed into Rin's shoulder and she reeled back as Kurenai appeared before her with a kunai in hand.

Rin clutched her wound as the blood mixed and diluted with the rain. "I thought you were supposed to be good at illusions?" Kurenai called.

Ignoring her goading, Rin drew a kunai with her right hand. The pain was bearable and since healing techniques used up a lot of chakra, Rin decided to conserve her energy.

Pushing her sopping fringe from her eyes, the two girls circled each other. Rin's clothes were drenched and the sodden fabric clung to her skin, weighing her arms down. Explosive tags would be useless in this weather and the water would just wash smoke bombs away.

There was nothing for it. She would just have to make an opening and use Kushina's technique.

Rin reached into her weapons pouch and hurled a handful of shruiken. The small blades bounced off Kurenai's kunai, but not wasting a moment Rin charged at her.

The sudden force of Rin's attack surprised Kurenai and she wildly parried but Rin had seized the upper hand. In a swooping arc Rin reversed the kunai and slammed the butt into Kurenai's stomach.

The other girl groaned, doubling back as she clutched her belly. As Kurenai struggled to regain her breath, Rin raised her hands to form a seal but she suddenly faltered. It seemed unfair to use the Whirlpool technique against Kurenai while she was helpless like that. After all this was a friendly match.

But Rin's momentary compassion was a mistake. Kurenai slammed her hands together into a flurry of seals and she wheezed, "Demonic illusion: Possessed forest technique."

Rin's eyes widened as she found herself inexplicably rooted to the spot, the kunai slipping from her hand. She gazed down and her mouth turned dry with horror.

Both her sandals and mud caked toes were slowly turning green and mottled. Soft green moss sprung from underneath her toenails and her skin transformed into hard, withered bark. Rin glanced back up but Kurenai had melted away and grass began to sprout from the mud.

Her head whipped to the side as the stadium walls groaned and cracked. Gnarled trees broke through the concrete until a forest surrounded her

Rin could no longer feel the rain; all she was conscious of was the slow loss of sensation as the disease travelled up her ankles.

For a moment, she was the same timid girl from almost a year ago who had fallen for her sensei's simple illusion. Then, through the panic, intellect kicked in. "Release!" Rin cried, raising her hands as her knees solidified into wood.

Nothing. The terrifying scene remained the same. A small, dainty branch sprouted from where Rin's kneecap used to be.

Rin closed her eyes and focusing her chakra she repeated, "Release!"

It was no use. Kurenai's illusion was too strong and she didn't know an illusion powerful enough to counter this.

_Think!_ Rin thought as her thighs transformed into wood. _There are three ways to combat illusions… If I can't dissipate it or counter it then I have to-_

Rin's eyes widened with realisation and she grabbed a kunai from her weapons pouch. Gritting her teeth, she slammed the blade into her shoulder wound.

Pain made her gasp, crystallising her senses and the illusions washed away. The rain returned, as did the crowd, and Rin found herself kneeling in the mud.

Kurenai was standing a few metres away from her and she appeared miffed that her illusion had failed to work.

Breathing hard Rin slowly staggered to her feet and tenderly eased out the kunai, throwing it aside. Blood sluggishly poured out, mixing with the rain and dirt. Her head spinning, Rin focused healing chakra into her right hand. Dimly she heard a faint 'ooh' from the crowd.

Despite the cold, the wet, the pain and the exhaustion, Rin wasn't going to give up. She'd spent too long with Obito and Kakashi to abandon this match.

The blood began to clot in her shoulder and the pain eased into a dull throbbing. Seeing that her opponent was healed, Kurenai leapt at her with a kunai but Rin dove to the side. Channelling chakra to her feet, she sprinted away from Kurenai and jumped up onto the stadium wall.

_I only have enough chakra for one shot, _Rin thought as Kurenai stared up at her from below.

Breathing in a deep breath, Rin clapped together some seals and the curtain of rain falling before her began to swirl into a spiral. "Secret Whirlpool arts: Water style: Ocean's Torrent!"

A whirlpool, smaller than the one in Kushina's demonstration, but still, a perfectly formed whirlpool span in front of Rin. All Kurenai could do was gape in horror as the mass of water tore down the wall and engulfed her. After a faint scream the technique dissipated, flooding the stadium and Kurenai was left lying face first in the mud.

Rin dropped to the ground with a squelch and her vision swam. She hadn't intended to hit Kurenai so hard…

The examiner who'd appeared from nowhere and was now expecting Kurenai didn't appear to be perturbed however. Instead he raised an arm and shouted, "Nohara Rin, Winner!"

There's a brief pause as the crowd processed what'd just happened. Then… There was a resounding cheer. Medics rushed out to attend Kurenai and Mornio Iwao ushered Rin towards the tunnel.

Exhausted, she glanced up and as she blinked against the rain Rin spotted a bright red head that shone through the weather like a flame. Though she couldn't exactly make out the person next to the red head, Rin knew whom it was. With a small tired smile upon her face, Rin's energy was slowly rejuvenated as she stepped into the shelter of the tunnel.

* * *

><p>As soon as Rin and the examiner had left earlier, a small commotion had occurred in the waiting room. The wooden door was flung open and a tall man with hair brighter than the sun stood in the doorway. The genin gaped at him, wondering if this part of the final exam.<p>

"Rin already out there?" The man asked and they weakly nodded.

"Sensei," a loud voice complained and the jonin was pushed aside. "Stop making an entrance." A boy with dark messed up locks walked into the room. Immediately, everyone's attention was drawn to the bright orange goggles strapped over his eyes.

"So you finally dragged yourself along," Asuma grinned from the corner. "Took your time, Obito."

Obito rumpled his hair and laughed, a mannerism that he had gained after training with Minato.

"I'm going to watch Rin now," Minato said to him and he smiled. "Remember all the things I've told you. It's not just about winning. Good luck!" He body flickered away leaving Obito.

Despite his confident appearance, Obito was pretty nervous. It was just he was one of those types of people who hid their nerves behind a loud personality.

"New goggles," Aoba nodded at him.

"New sunglasses," Obito nodded back approvingly, as he sat next to him on his right. Though sunglasses were no way near as cool as goggles, at least Aoba had the sense to keep his eyes protected.

Obito had spent most of his saved up wages on these goggles. Hand made by the Uchiha opticians, the tinted plastic visor was reinforced to withstand most attacks with an added scratch resistant coating. The strap was adjustable for when he grew older and this pair had extra ear protectors. The goggles were obviously orange, just because orange was an obviously awesome colour. Obito had put _a lot_ of thought into designing the goggles.

Genma, however, snorted from the corner but then that boy had no fashion taste.

Though Obito hadn't realised it, his presence had relaxed the genin, although the two Kusa boys refused to talk. He was just one of those people who were gifted with the ability to break the ice without even knowing it.

Rin's battle took around ten minutes and before Obito knew it a scary looking examiner threw the door open with a bedraggled girl behind him.

"I knew you could do it Rin!" Obito grinned as she stepped inside.

The examiner glanced at him with a slightly bemused look. "Uchiha Obito," he said. "How kind of you to grace us with your presence."

Missing out on the sarcasm Obito smiled back, "That's alright!"

The proctor snorted in disgust and said, "Hara Dai and Mizushima Ebisu, follow me."

"Finally," the Kusa boy stretched and slung his scythe over his shoulder. Ebisu looked positively petrified as he followed his opponent and the examiner to his fate.

Rin gingerly sat down on Obito's right. A disgusting mixture of blood, water and mud dripped from her clothes and her usually shiny hair had turned into ropy rats' tails. Obito didn't care. He was just proud that Rin had managed to defeat Kurenai.

"How'd it go?" Obito asked keenly as Rin leaned back in her seat. "What's it like out there?"

Rin however was unable to answer his questions. She'd fallen asleep, with her mouth hanging slightly open.

Obito jiggled in his seat with a combination of excitement and nerves. The past month had been a difficult one. For weeks Obito had stayed up all night trying to master the summoning technique. Luckily his chakra control was now half-decent. The problem had been summoning a toad that was actually useful in battle.

For a second a cloud of doubt shrouded Obito. What if the battle actually went well but the clan hated his summoning anyway? He'd tried so hard to tell Mikoto but every time he tried it was either an inappropriate moment or the words just dried away. The sad truth was that each time Obito imagined Fugaku's reaction he wanted to vomit. It was better this way. At least then he could show them without any clumsy words.

_I want them to recognise who _I _am,_ Obito told himself firmly and as he had been doing for last weeks, he shoved the worry to the back of his mind.

The door suddenly opened again and the Kusa boy stormed back in with a furious face. "Can't believe he gave up in the first two seconds," he scowled as he slouched back in his seat. His teammate, Ryuu, just ignored him.

"Shiranui Genma and Yamashiro Aoba," the examiner jerked his thumb towards to tunnel.

"Good luck," Obito said to Aoba who smiled grimly at him. Though Obito wasn't keen on seeing people from Konoha being beaten to a pulp, he hoped Aoba smashed Genma.

Obito studied his toes for a moment as he heard the crowd cheer. For a brief moment he wondered how many clan members were out there. Probably not many seeing as he was the clan's dead-last. He scowled. He'd prove them wrong. He _had_ to prove them wrong.

Genma and Aoba's battle took around twelve minutes but eventually Iwao appeared with Aoba.

He gave Obito a massive grin, despite the fact several senbon were embedded in his shoulder. "Good luck," Aoba said as Obito jumped up.

"Shibata Ryuu, Uchiha Obito," Iwao said. The Kusa boy dragged himself up and slouched after Obito and the examiner.

As they trudged down the dark tunnel Obito gulped. This was it. He just hoped that his over-active tear ducts wouldn't betray him. At least he had some eye drops on him just in case… Though Obito seriously doubted he would have time to use them. But you could never be _too_ careful about your eyes. After all it wasn't as if people freely handed them out.

Behind his goggles, Obito's eyes narrowed as he stepped out into the stadium. The ground had been churned up from the previous fights and it now resembled a bog rather than an arena. Fortunately, the rain was beginning to diminish into a depressing drizzle. Even so Obito knew he had a disadvantage and his mind furiously began to work out a plan.

As Ryuu and he faced each other, Obito couldn't help gaze up at the hoards of people above them. With the fading rain, the volume of the crowd had increased causing Obito's nerves to triple. He hadn't realised that _this_ many people would be watching him. Obito felt slightly dizzy from the sheer number staring at him. Heck even the Hokage and the leader of Kusagakure were watching, Obito could just make out their tiny forms sitting on the designated platform.

The proctor cleared his throat and Obito jerked his head to face his opponent. "Shibata Ryuu versus Uchiha Obito. Begin!" Iwao leapt away, leaving the two boys.

Shifting himself into the Uchiha taijutsu stance, Obito was slightly peeved to see that Ryuu hadn't bothered to move. The Kusa opponent just stood there with his hands in his pockets and his hat shielding his face. Obito's first reaction was charge at him but Minato's number one rule held him back. Think before you act.

Instead he distanced himself and began to circle Ryuu, waiting for him to make the first move. Then, he heard Ryuu sigh, "Guess I should probably do something then."

Obito scowled. This boy was obviously an insufferable genius like Kakashi. Insufferable geniuses always had the tendency to underestimate him.

Lazily, the Kusa boy removed his hat revealing a hawk like face. Obito's annoyance only increased. With his tamed dark hair and snotty air, Ryuu looked more like an Uchiha than he did.

But Obito's attention was suddenly riveted, as Ryuu flung his hat high into the air. The hat spun in the air and suddenly a shower of senbon rained down on Obito.

Acting fast, he skidded back and drew a kunai. Frantically Obito parried the needles as they thudded into the mud beneath his feet.

Just as Obito was about to glance at his opponent, he was suddenly thrown backwards and an agonising pain filled his left leg. Breathing hard, he struggled up to see a vicious meteor hammer wrapped around his left shin. This was no trainee meteor hammer. Instead of being made of rope with round monkey-fisted knots at the end, a heavy metal chain connected two iron cast balls at the end. Clearly, the Kusa boy was no beginner.

Hissing with pain Obito slowly unwrapped the weapon from his leg, biting his lip. He lurched up, clutching the weapon.

Taking a deep breath, Obito shot out a burst of laughter causing a look of mild surprise on Ryuu's face. "Ha ha!" He forced a smile. "I have your weapon now!"

Obito lifted the meteor hammer then thought better of it. He had no idea how to use it other than swing it around like a giant yo-yo. Dropping the weapon into the mud, he limped to the side. Forming a couple of seals, Obito shot a jet of flames at Ryuu.

His opponent didn't bother to move as fire engulfed him. As the smoke cleared away, all was left on the ground was a pile of steaming mud.

"A clone?" Obito said, confused. Suddenly he heard a whooshing sound and if Obito had ducked a second later the meteor hammer would have smashed his skull.

Immediately he heard one of the deadly metal heads swing towards his other side and Obito leapt back. Ryuu stood before him as he twirled the meteor hammer in a mesmorising circle.

Sweating, Obito drew a kunai and all he could think was, _how the hell am I supposed to get close enough to attack?_

Suddenly Ryuu advanced, the metal heads spinning in a vertical downwards strike at him. All Obito could do was be pushed further and further towards the stadium wall. Sadly, at that moment, Obito was stuck by one of his all too frequent moments of idiocy. With a war cry he skirted to his left and charged at Ryuu.

Immediately the Kusa boy shifted his grip on the chain and grabbed one of the hammer's heads. Obito dodged the metal ball and lunged at Ryuu's apparently unprotected left. There was a sharp clang of metal and Obito's kunai ricocheted high into the air as Ryuu used the metal head in his hand as a shield. Behind his goggles, Obito's eyes dilated as chain bounced from Ryuu's right side and the second head came swinging round in a brutal riposte.

Instinct saved Obito as he ducked.

_This is useless, _Obito thought as he weaved and dodged the meteor hammer's blows. _His movements are too unpredictable. No way can I land a hit like this._

But instead of wishing for the sharingan, a plan began to form inside Obito's mind. He turned and, just as Rin did before him, Obito used chakra to propel his feet to sprint up the stadium wall.

The crowd jeered at him but Obito ignored them, as he watched Ryuu approach. At least he was out of the meteor hammer's range now.

"Hey," Ryuu called as he swung the weapon with ease. "If you're just going to sit there, you might as well give up."

"Shut up!" Obito shouted in response. Reaching into his weapons pouch he hurled two smoke bombs at his opponent. Not wasting a moment, Obito drew five kunai and one by one he threw the blades down into the arena at different angles.

As the smoke was washed away in the drizzle there was an audible gasp from the audience. A head from Ryuu's meteor hammer was caught between a web of ninja wire that was attached to Obito's well-planted kunai.

The Kusa opponent was well and truly aggravated by this and he tugged the chain but it was useless. The meteor hammer was jammed and it would take too long to disentangle it.

Obito grinned but he remembered Kakashi's words. Don't get over confident just because you have the advantage. Instead Obito leant back onto his haunches, waiting for his opponent to make the next move.

Ryuu dropped the meteor hammer with a resounding thud and he stepped out from the wire maze. Suddenly his hands moved into a whirl of seals and the mud in front of him began to bubble.

In a clear voice he said, "Kusagakure mud possession technique!"

Obito stared with slow horror as the mud bubbled into a giant mound, which was over six feet tall. Slowly, with a sickening squelching sound, the mud began form into a giant tiger… Or was it a leopard? Either way Obito didn't care, because the giant cat charged at him.

He sprinted to the right. Running along the stadium wall was disorientating with the mud filled arena on his left and the sky to his right.

Thinking fast, Obito took the risk. Biting his thumb, he skidded to a halt and slammed his palm to the wall crying, "Summoning technique!"

The noise from the crowd grew deafening at this point and through the smoke appeared… A tadpole.

"Damn it!" Obito yelled, as the tadpole wriggled and dropped into the mud below. Then he heard the sound of thundering footsteps approaching.

With a cry, Obito dove off the wall just as the giant animal slammed into the concrete. He skidded on the mud and sprinted to the other side of the arena.

_Concentrate! Concentrate!_ Obito thought and he forced his muscles to relax. The first time had just been nerves. Focusing his chakra, Obito channelled at much as possible into his next attempt.

"Summoning technique!" He shouted. Obito bit his lip and waited… Then he gave a triumphant cheer.

A toad, a modest sized one around six feet high, stood with it's back facing him. The noise from the spectators descended into a loud buzzing.

Staring at the toad's orange back that had a spattering of red, Obito wondered if the correct etiquette was to introduce himself.

The toad turned it's head and said in a mildly confused voice, "Huh… Someone actually summoned me?" His eyes fell upon Obito and he cried, "Cool! I got summoned!"

"He he," Obito grinned, and then a loud squelching interrupted their conversation. Ryuu's giant mud cat had managed to remove itself from the wall.

"You want me to fight that?" The toad said incredulously as he stared at the snarling animal. "Ha ha."

"What the hell?" He yelled as the cat pounced. Obito launched himself onto the toad's back. Effortlessly, the toad dodged the animal's attack and with one clean sweep he smashed the cat with a powerful kick.

Ryuu was standing on the other side of the stadium with a dumbfounded face. Obviously he was now realising it was a mistake to underestimate the dead-last.

"Wow!" Obito grinned as mud showered him. "What now? Should-"

The words died away as suddenly the examiner, flanked by a group of ANBU, appeared at the centre of the arena. Obito, the toad and Ryuu stared at them.

"This match has been officially cancelled and the exam has been indefinitely postponed!" The proctor announced with clear, authoritative voice.

"Damn it," the toad sighed. "Just when I was actually summoned…" The summon vanished and Obito fell onto the ground.

"What!" Obito cried, as he picked himself up. "No way!"

The examiner gave him a cold look and said, "Hokage's orders." Despite the crowd's anger, despite Obito's continued protests, and despite the fact no explanation was offered, the match was cancelled. The Hokage's word was final.

* * *

><p>By the time Minato entered the Hokage's office, twenty minutes after the shocking announcement, he could hear loud voices discussing within.<p>

After a brief knock on the door, Minato turned the handle and stepped inside to find the Hokage and the leader of Kusagakure. Three of the Kusa equivalent of ANBU, hid in the shadows and Minato could sense Konoha ANBU lurking around somewhere too.

"Our alliance will remain strong Sarutobi," the Kusa leader shook hands with the Third. "That I can guarantee. My party will leave tonight. I need to be with my village."

"I wish you good luck," the Hokage nodded, grimly. "I'll send you a platoon as promised, as soon as I can assemble the forces."

"Thank you," the Kusa leader said. "Good luck too, Sarutobi." Ignoring Minato, the Kusa leader strode out flanked by his ANBU.

"Hokage-sama?" Minato said as he approached the Third.

"Minato," the Third said. No pleasantries. No smiles. Things must be serious. "It's just as we've feared. War has broken out."

Minato's spine grew cold. War? But if Iwa and Suna had declared war on each other already Konoha wouldn't be taking action like this already.

The Hokage ground his teeth together and explained, "Apparently the Kazekage went missing a week ago. Not only has Suna invaded the Stone Country to find him but they also launched an attack on the outpost bordering the Land of Rivers."

"How many?" Minato asked.

"Twenty dead and around fifteen injured," the Third told him. "They took the outpost by surprise."

Minato bit his lip.

"That's not it," the Third continued with a pained face. "Iwa have taken the opportunity to seek revenge and today of all days they destroyed the Konoha outpost in the Land of Grass. They've probably been planning that for years."

Minato's eyes widened. He knew what it was like to grow up during wartime. The bloody second war had lasted for too long and countless of good men and women had been slaughtered on all sides. Now it was happening all over again.

Minato sincerely hoped his students didn't pass the exam. Though the Hokage would try not to send out chunin who were still children, it was hard not to if forces were stretched. Kakashi would most certainty be sent out.

"Minato I want you to assume command at the central outpost on the Land of Rivers border," the Hokage said. "Reinforcements will accompany you and you'll leave at 0600 hours tomorrow."

"Yes Hokage-sama," Minato nodded, the weight of responsibility pressing on his shoulders. This was it. War had broken out and no one knew how long it could last for. As the Hokage continued to brief him on the details Minato couldn't help but worry about his students. Obito and Rin had done him proud today, but in a warzone anyone was fair game.

* * *

><p>When Uchiha Fugaku was annoyed he would merely stare at the person as if they had just crawled out from beneath his shoe. Anger would result in a few short, sharp words that would annihilate any pride you had. Fury however… When Fugaku was furious he could send fully grown ninja running home crying.<p>

"_That_," Fugaku said as he slid the door shut behind him. "Was not a good idea. Was it?"

With the village in uproar Mikoto, Shisui and Obito had hurried home. The journey had been a strained one. Mikoto's enthusiasm for Obito's efforts had been a little _too_strained. Obito had overheard people talking about a war breaking out but somehow, he got the feeling this was to do with something else. Especially when Mikoto told him to wait at her house until Uncle Fugaku returned home. Shisui had also been ushered away to their small apartment. Oh, Obito definitely knew what this was about.

He had waited for hours as slow cold dread piled up in his stomach. This was about the summoning technique.

As Obito stood anxiously in the clan head's living room, Fugaku walked around him with the authority of a lawyer interrogating the accused.

"Well?" He said, his monotone voice not even breaking. That was the scary thing about the head of the Uchiha clan. He never raised his voice. It just remained a soft, liquid sound and the silent threats poured over Obito.

He stared at his bare feet; his toes were still caked in dry mud. Suddenly Obito became very aware of just how filthy he was as he stood in Fugaku's pristine house.

"I… I," He struggled as Fugaku's stare bore into him. Inhaling a deep breath Obito finally managed, "I needed to get strong. I just wanted to make the clan proud."

"Would it not have been more in keeping with the clan law to work on activating your sharingan?" Fugaku cut in, his icy words freezing Obito blood.

He couldn't say it. The desire to tell Fugaku everything was so great, Obito almost confessed. But the power of speech escaped him and forming a simple sentence was impossible.

"This was a violation of clan law," Fugaku continued. "If you do something like this again, you're out. Understand? Your parents would be ashamed."

That hurt. It stung Obito so badly his eyes watered. Clenching his fists he whispered, "I'm sorry." Though Obito wasn't entirely sure whom he was apologising to.

Either way Fugaku batted Obito's words away and said, "This was a humiliation to the clan. I've already warned Namikaze."

"This wasn't Minato-sensei's fault!" Obito blurted out. "It was mine. Please don't blame him." It was true. He had been the one who'd lied. This was all down to his childish stupidity.

Fugaku gave Obito a cold look and said, "To be expected." The head of the Uchiha clan turned on his heel and stalked out of the room.

Obito miserably dragged himself out of Fugaku's house and walked back to his apartment. As he trod down the street he realised that he could have asked Mikoto to teach him a technique. The realisation tastes bitter in Obito's mouth. Yet again he'd acted rashly.

Obito stopped suddenly and stared at the wet pavement. What was he supposed to do? The sun was beginning to set, turning the sky into a deep vermillion. The compound was stained in a bloody glow and several clan members rushed past him.

Sighing, Obito trudged up the steps to his apartment and pulled the key out of his pocket. As he unlocked the door a small, uncharacteristically timid head peered around the corner.

"Obi-nii?" Shisui said as Obito detached his feet from his disgusting sandals.

"Hey Shisui," Obito attempted a smile but it turned into more of a grimace. "I'm going have a shower and then I'll make some thing to eat."

Shisui nodded, his usually happy smile missing. Obito wearily trod towards the bathroom but just as his hand touched the door handle Shisui suddenly called, "Obi-nii."

Obito turned his head to look at his younger cousin. "Yeah?" He sighed.

Suddenly Shisui's face split into a massive grin that lit up the entire room. "Your fight was awesome today," he beamed.

Obito's exhausted eyes widened and he choked, "Really? Even though I didn't use the clan summoning?"

Shisui shrugged and smiled, "Well obviously you're going to get the sharingan. But you were so cool! I want to be that cool when I grow up. One day I'm going to have a technique that makes me unique too!"

Pressure built up behind Obito's eyes but his mouth was pulled into a small smile. He looked at the five year old and said softly, "Thanks… Shisui."

Suddenly everything was crystallised. The clan, the clan, clan. With the Uchihas it was always about the clan. Never the village. Their lives appeared to revolve around the sharingan and things that were unique to their lineage. But Obito loved Konoha. Why couldn't he learn techniques from others in the village too?

Obito stared at his hand. Perhaps… It was time to find a new dream.

* * *

><p>By five-thirty the next morning Minato was ready. In his backpack were the few essentials he needed while posted away. He gazed around his tiny apartment. Minato wouldn't miss it that much. He barely spent any time there and in all honesty it had never really felt like home. He'd already slipped a letter underneath his landlady's door with this month's rent and note saying she was free to rent the place out.<p>

Minato closed the door, locking it and slipped the key underneath the doormat. It'd been hell yesterday trying to get everything organised. He had sent letters to Obito, Rin and Kakashi informing them he'd been sent out on a mission and it would be a very long time before he returned. Each letter contained words of encouragement to his students and promises that he'd write as frequently as possible. His letter to Jiraiya had turned into a five-page essay.

Kushina? God Kushina… Minato couldn't bring himself to write a letter. There'd been too much to say. Instead he had bought a small, ornate hairclip that was made from a rare blue slate only found in the Wave Country. It'd cost five month's worth of wages but Minato could just imagine it in her beautiful hair. While Kushina and Kakashi were still out, Minato had slipped into the house and left it on her dressing table. It was unashamedly cowardly indeed. But Minato just couldn't do it. He didn't want to say goodbye to her. Years without Kushina yawned at him. It was just too unbearable to say goodbye.

Minato strolled through the village and as he passed each building he carefully imprinted it into his memory. Ninja walked past him; hurrying to the Hokage tower and he wondered if the Third slept at all last night.

Finally he reached the main gates and already most of the small force had assembled. "Oi Minato!" He heard Inoichi's voice break through the morning air. "You took your time, Commander!"

Minato waved as the group turned. Among them were the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. He was glad to see they were coming with him. Not only would they be great assets but also it would be good to have friends there.

There were some other unfamiliar faces but Minato had taken care to memorise names last night. The smallest and youngest at the age of twelve was Namiashi Raido.

As Minato stepped out to greet them a loud, terrifying voice shouted, "Namikaze Minato!"

Minato turned to see Kushina stomp up to him, her face contorted with rage and her hair flew in a crimson banner. The early morning light bounced off her hair and Minato's breath caught in his throat.

"You," Kushina spat, coming to a halt. "You." Hearing the 'dattebane' infect the end of her sentence Minato knew he was in trouble.

"So… You liked the hairclip?" Minato smiled weakly, as he glanced up at the little slide that had clipped back her fringe.

For a moment Kushina looked like she was about to punch him. Instead, with her eyes blazing, she stated, "You're leaving."

"Hokage's orders," Minato nodded, keeping a calm face.

Kushina gave him an unfathomable look. Then she whirled around, her hair flying through the air as she began to walk away.

Minato couldn't help it. Without even thinking he reached out and, with his inhuman reactions, he grabbed the end of one of Kushina's locks.

"Minato!" Kushina yelled, as she was pulled back and she clutched her head.

Minato wasn't listening. So not to hurt to Kushina he took a step towards her so the hair was no longer taut. Then, he began to examine the hair.

It wasn't soft and silky smooth like you'd expect. Instead it was thick and coarse. Minato had never seen this kind of texture in his life.

Kushina watched with stunned face as Minato lifted the lock so the light hit it. He tried to count all the colours there but it was impossible. There were just too many.

"I didn't want to say goodbye," Minato said as he began to carefully separate each hair. "Because that would imply that I may never see you again." He lowered his hand and smiled, "And we will see each other again, Kushina. I promise."

"Idiot," Kushina mumbled as her face flushed a deep magenta. "Don't go making promises you can't keep."

Minato gazed down at her and he couldn't help but compare to the small angry girl who'd beaten up every boy in academy. When he had saved her from the Kumo nin nearly nine years ago everything had slid into place.

"You're so weird," Kushina muttered, pulling her hair from his grip. She stared at the tips for a moment, and then suddenly a sliver of metal flashed in the air.

Before Minato could protest Kushina sliced off the lock of hair. Replacing the knife back into a pocket she curled the lock of hair into a knot. "Here," She offered it to Minato. "Since you like my stupid hair so much…"

Overwhelmed and slightly scandalised, Minato took the lock from her and carefully slipped it into his flak jacket pocket. Smiling, he suddenly hugged her. Beneath his arms he felt Kushina stiffen as his men hooted and jeered.

Then, she slowly relaxed. "Calm down," she said. "It's just a lock of hair… It's not like we're saying goodbye or anything."

"Oi just kiss already!" Inoichi shouted.

The two jumped apart and Minato coughed, "So, um, this is it."

Kushina rolled her eyes, "Of course it's not. Just get going already."

Minato took one last look at her then, he turned away and walked to his men. "Now Minato's said goodbye to his girlfriend, let's go!" Inoichi said.

"Isn't Minato the one in charge?" Shikaku reminded him and several people sniggered. As the group began to walk away from the village, Minato turned his head.

Kushina was still standing there, with a sad smile upon her face. When Minato had made his promised, he'd meant it. They would never have to say goodbye because even if he died he would find a way to be with Kushina again.

* * *

><p>The village had lulled into a strangely organised chaos, as jonin and chunin were sent out to various different outposts either in the Land of Rivers, the Grass Country or the Waterfall Country. Genin were working overtime as their missions doubled with the absent chunin.<p>

A week after the war had been declared; Kakashi found himself sitting in the Hokage's office. The Third shuffled some papers and peered at him over his spectacles.

"You're ten now, correct?" The Hokage asked.

"Yes Sir," Kakashi nodded. He knew what he'd been summoned for. The Hokage was going to send him out. Kakashi hoped it would be with Minato-sensei.

It was strangely exciting being sent out somewhere where he could be posted for years. This was it, a chance to live up to his father's name. Although it was bitter to Kakashi that Sakumo's heroic sacrifice to prevent a war had only postponed it for two years. Kakashi was desperate to go out there and make a difference. He had no idea what he could do, but it was better than being stuck here in the village.

"Hmm," the Third sighed. "Reinforcements are needed in the Land of Waterfall. Orochimaru is the current commander there, I think you'll be a great help."

Kakashi's head jerked. Orochimaru?

Mistaking his reaction the Third said, "You cannot be posted out with Minato, I'm afraid. You have to learn how to work with different people, Kakashi. After all you will meet all sorts as a ninja."

"I understand," Kakashi said, maintaining what he hoped was an impassive face.

"You'll be leaving tomorrow morning with the other reinforcements at six," the Hokage told him sternly. "Good luck, Kakashi."

Kakashi stood and said, "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

As he left the office and began to make his way out of the building Minato's warning about Orochimaru echoed around his mind. How was he supposed to stay away from him if he was his commander? Inwardly, Kakashi shuddered at the thought of being posted out in the same camp with the Sannin for years.

_I'll be careful Sensei,_ Kakashi silently vowed. He would tread very carefully at the outpost, keep his head low and stay away from Orochimaru as much as possible. That was the only thing he could do.

As he walked down the stone steps a small voice called, "K-Kakashi-kun?"

Kakashi gazed down to see Rin standing at the foot of the staircase. In her hands she was clutching a small package.

Walking down to join her Kakashi said, "Congratulations."

"Thank you…" Rin smiled.

Only yesterday the Third had announced who had been promoted from the chunin exams, though understandably there'd been no ceremony. Due to the war more people were needed so from Konoha, five genin had been promoted. Maito Gai, Sarutobi Asuma, Yamashiro Aoba, Rin and Obito.

Obito and Asuma had already set off to Grass Country this morning with their team. Kakashi had received Obito's extremely scruffy letter last. Rin, however, was ordered to remain behind at the hospital for the moment as they were horribly short staffed.

"You're going away?" Rin asked.

"Yeah," Kakashi said. "Waterfall Country. I'll probably be away for a while."

"I thought so," Rin mumbled. "So I… I made you this." She offered the package with a tense face.

Kakashi took the small pack from her and raised a questioning eyebrow.

"It's a medi-pack," she explained quickly. "J-just in case… I made one for Obito too…"

Kakashi's stomach tightened and he said softly, "Thanks Rin."

Rin's cheeks heated up and she explained, "Everything you'll need for basic first aid is in there."

Beneath the soft lid of the medi-pack Kakashi felt something sharp prod him. Frowning, he found there was a pocket in the lid and he pulled out small photograph.

Rin stared at the floor as Kakashi studied the photo. It was the photo of Team 7 that was taken after the bell test. He stared at the Obito and Sensei's beaming faces, Rin's small smile and his completely blank eyes. Behind his mask, Kakashi smiled.

Both Obito and Rin's fights in the arena had impressed Kakashi, and Hatake Kakashi was not one who was impressed easily. It'd then hit him home how much he had begun to care for his teammates.

"Obito promised me that he'd write if he ever got hurt," Rin said, wording her words carefully. Kakashi knew exactly what she was implying.

"I will too," he promised. "Take care Rin."

Rin bit her lip but gave him a brave nod.

Clutching the medi-pack Kakashi resumed his journey. Suddenly the war didn't seem so exciting anymore. He may never see his team or Kushina again.

Kakashi stopped and glanced over his shoulder at the three Hokage that guarded the village from the cliff face. How many years would it be before he saw those familiar stone faces again?

_I promise,_ Kakashi thought as he stared at the monument. _I promise that I'll do my best to make a difference in the war you died to prevent, Dad. I promise._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'm sorry about the slow development of this story, I have been dragging my heels a bit. The first two parts were really more to lay down the foundations of the plot and to develop the characters. Things will be speeding up because otherwise it'll be ridiculously long... Also in the next 'arc' things will be drifting even further away from the canon. I hope that's ok. **_  
><em>

**Due to exams I'm not entirely sure when the next update will be but I'll try my best to update because I want to keep the story flowing.**

**Thanks for sticking with this so far and I hope you liked the chapter!**


	13. Interlude: Chapter 12

**A/N: Apologies that the chapter is shorter in length than usual, though it's short for a reason. This is more to show the passing of time, so the chapter is a selection of letters. Just think of it as an interlude between arcs :) If any dates are wrong feel free to let me know.**

**The letters written in italics are written in code.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Interlude<strong>

**Chapter 12**

16th April 769

Minato,

I'm glad to hear that you're settled in the camp. The men are bound to perk up now Konoha's famed genius has arrived.

Kakashi and Obito have been sent out already. I made them promise to write to you, since boys can be completely incompetent when it comes to communication (you don't really count). It's weird being in the house alone, especially since this was Sensei's home... I just can't imagine what it was like for Kakashi to be living here on his own.

Anyway, I know it's a bit early but I was wondering about sending Kakashi a scarf? You know how much he hates the cold and it's probably still pretty chilly up in Waterfall Country. Think red will suit him? Maybe I'll send him one for his birthday.

I'm going stir-crazy here. The old man is refusing to send me out where you are. Apparently I'm needed for the defences at home at the moment. Typical. Anyway, it's fun training Rin though she's been pretty upset lately since the first casualties have arrived. I've been trying to take her mind off it by teaching her some sealing techniques.

Hope you're well and try not to do anything stupid.

Love,

Kushina

P.S. I've enclosed a package of sun cream. Even someone with your complexion can burn.

* * *

><p>9th June 769<p>

Yo Shisui!

Sorry I haven't written in so long. It was just so hectic arriving in the Grass Country and being sent out on loads of skirmishes straight away.

It's fun living a different country. The forests are so thick here! I can't actually remember what the sky looks like. The local food is pretty nice. They eat a lot of broth and soup here; Kakashi would love it.

The camp commander is terrifying. Seriously. He's a cross between the examiner I had for the final exam and Uncle Fugaku but with the thickest Kusa accent ever. Asuma reckons it's probably because he's been living in the Grass Country for so long. It's kind of cool hearing the Kusa dialect when we see the other ninja and one of my bunkmates has been teaching me a couple of phrases. Most of them are swearwords though so don't tell Aunt Mikoto!

Keep working hard with your academy stuff. Sure it's boring but I know you'll be an awesome ninja one day. Say hello to Aunt Mikoto for me and remember to keep pranking the rest of the clan!

Obito

P.S. Please wish Itachi happy birthday for me. I wasn't really sure what to give him so I've enclosed this cool stone I found while on watch duty.

* * *

><p>16th September 769<p>

Kushina,

Thank you for the scarf. You did remember right, red is my favourite colour. It's cold up here in Waterfall Country and my bunkmate, Gai, thinks it'll snow by the end of the week. I'm guessing it's still warm in Konoha? The scarf is a bit big but I'm sure I'll grow into it when I'm older. I'm wearing it right now as I'm writing this letter so please stop worrying about me getting a chill.

My birthday was ok yesterday. I led my first skirmish, which was successful. The men were a bit of a pain. You know, it was the usual thing of people making fun of my age. It can't be helped I guess. I did find it a bit strange that Orochimaru decided to make me leader of the team when I have so little experience, not really sure why he did it. Either way I'm just glad everyone made it back uninjured.

Gai wanted to celebrate my birthday and the mission success with a 'party of youth'. Yeah, I decided to hide and find somewhere to train at that point.

I've been training my second elemental affinity and I've master a couple of simple techniques. Can't wait to try them out in battle.

Hope you're well and say hi to Rin for me,

Kakashi

* * *

><p>5th December 770<p>

Dear Sensei,

Sorry this letter is late. I've been working night shifts at the hospital and training with Kushina during the day.

My medical techniques are improving a lot and I performed my first post-mortem today, supervised by the coroner. It was weird but I actually found myself admiring the village coroner for doing such an important job on a daily basis.

Kushina is leaving soon I think. She's probably told you but the Hokage has decided to send her out to Northern outpost near Kumo. So we're cramming in as much training as possible before she leaves.

I've been working on my own sealing technique, with her help. I wanted see if there was a way of sterilising an environment to make operations safe while out in the field. This is just in case I get sent out.

Good luck for your next mission,

Rin

* * *

><p>18th April 770<p>

Dear Rin,

I can't believe it's been a year already. How're you? I hope you're ok. When you told me you'd be joining the forces in River Country I was pretty worried, but I know you'll be fine. After all you're probably an amazing kunoichi by now, right? At least Aoba's out there with you. It's nice to have a friend.

In between missions I've been working on different fire techniques. Asuma and I have an awesome teamwork combination going on with our elemental affinities. Sensei would be proud. But guess what? Do you know who I had to work together with today? The team from Kusa! You know the team from the chunin exams? Yeah I know it was such a pain. It went fine though, I managed to get a cut on my arm from some Iwa kid. Bled a lot but it didn't hurt that much. At least I get to show off my stiches to the camp, eh?

Look after yourself,

Obito

* * *

><p>27th July 770<p>

Dear Obito,

I have some fantastic news, Shisui graduated from academy today! He passed with flying colours. He was only four marks off from beating Kakashi's score. Isn't that amazing? Of course Fugaku was a little disappointed about that but the clan is so proud of him. I think Shisui was a bit sad though that you weren't there.

Love,

Aunt Mikoto

* * *

><p>15th October 770<p>

Kurenai,

I don't know what to write... Do you remember the boy who fought Ebisu in the chunin exams? The boy from Kusagakure, Hara Dai? He died today Kurenai. It just happened too fast. One moment he was standing next to me, then the next he was lying in the mud...

Obito says not to blame myself. But I just couldn't stop it. If I hadn't moved at the last moment I would be dead too. It's just... It keeps replaying in my mind... Maybe I could have save him too if I'd managed to save myself?

Promise me you won't get promoted to chunin? I don't want you or Ebisu to be sent out to the frontlines. Ignore all the shit they're spouting about the glorious war back home. It's not glorious. Not even the slightest.

Asuma

* * *

><p>21st October 770<p>

Dear Asuma,

I'm so sorry to hear about Dai. Obito's right it wasn't your fault. I'm just glad you're alive. Don't blame yourself ok?

Asuma, I'm really really sorry. Ebisu and I were promoted to chunin yesterday. But it's helping the war right? I mean the sooner it ends the better. I've enclosed the new address for the outpost in the Land of Rivers.

Hope that I'll see you soon and please, remember that it wasn't your fault.

Kurenai

* * *

><p><em>3<em>_rd__ February 771_

_Kakashi,_

_I'd advise to keep your distance from the situation for now. Best not say anything; though in regards to what you wrote why not befriend her? Perhaps that would be the best option?_

_Minato_

_P.S. What would happen if you focused the highest concentration of lightning chakra into one attack? Something disastrous, no doubt. If you're think about creating such a technique make sure you have covered all of the weaknesses before you try it out in the field. I learnt that the hard way._

* * *

><p>15th March 771<p>

Dear Konoha's Yellow Flash,

Do you know that's what they're calling you now Sensei? We heard all about what happened over here in the Grass. You're a living legend!

I've been working on a combination technique at the moment with one of the toads. It was really hard but I managed to pull it off yesterday. Almost burnt down the commander's tent though. He spent most of the day screaming at me, kind of made me almost miss Uncle Fugaku. The rest of the camp found it pretty funny and Asuma fell over he was laughing so much.

Obito

* * *

><p>22nd May 771<p>

Dear Obito,

I'm sorry it's been such a long time since I've written. Being a medic nin is so hard. I had no idea it was this awful. The new promotion as camp medic is exhausting. It doesn't seem right that Konoha has so few people who lack the knowledge for medical techniques. I mean where is Tsunade-sama now? Why isn't she helping when all these people are dying?

Genma's mum passed away a couple of days ago. I tried Obito, I tried so hard but I couldn't save her. She lost too much blood on the field.

I'm sorry... I shouldn't unload on you like this. After all you're miles away it's not fair. Aoba's been a great help though. He was there for me after… Well after it happened.

Anyway, I hope you're doing ok.

Rin

* * *

><p>1st June 771<p>

Rin,

Please don't blame yourself. I want you to believe in yourself ok?

Genma joined us on the borders last month. He's actually ok once you get to know him. The news was given to him last night and now he wants to kill every Suna nin in sight. Maybe that's why they sent him over here.

Look after yourself and promise me that you'll stop blaming yourself?

Obito

P.S. If Aoba gets too close remember it's all right to tell him to back off.

* * *

><p>29th October 771<p>

Dear Obito,

I have some amazing news! Shisui awakened his sharingan a few days ago! We had a small party with the clan members who were here and a feast. Fugaku was so proud; after all even he didn't awaken his sharingan at the age of seven.

Understandably Shisui has been a little depressed lately as in that same mission one of his teammates and his sensei were sadly killed. He's been spending most of his recovery by the river with Itachi. I think he must miss you a lot too, it did feel very quiet during the celebration without you there.

If you do awaken your sharingan, remember to let me know.

Love,

Aunt Mikoto

* * *

><p><em>11<em>_th__ November 771_

_Sensei,_

_He still won't let me visit neighbouring towns, I'm not entirely sure why. Though now she is officially his apprentice he's stopped asking me to visit his tent every Wednesday. She's completely besotted with him. It's disgusting. I can't understand it, it's so annoying. I mean she no longer screams or throws kunai at me, so I guess you could say we're friends. Maybe?_

_ Gekko Miyako, Team 2's sensei, has offered to help me train in sword skills and I'm still working on that technique._

_Kakashi_

_P.S. Is it normal for friends to spit at you?_

* * *

><p><em>26<em>_th__ November 771_

_Kakashi,_

_It seems that he's taken his eyes off you for now, which is a relief. For now just stay out of his way. Hopefully this war will be over soon._

_ You're in safe hands if Miyako is tutoring you. She's from a family who are renowned in Konoha for their swordplay, second only to your father of course. Thank her for me._

_Minato_

_P.S. Don't worry Kushina spat at me once during academy. It's completely normal._

* * *

><p>15th January 772<p>

Obi-nii

I'm learning a really cool technique. When you come back home I am so going to beat you to Auntie Mikoto's house!

Shisui

* * *

><p>3rd March 772<p>

Rin my little apprentice!

Hope you're doing well. How're the techniques coming along?

It's extremely boring here; I think the Old Man went out of his way to post me on the dullest outpost.

By the sounds of it things are coming along nicely with Aoba? And don't deny it!

Keep strong. Don't let it get to you. Too many ninja have gone insane that way.

Kushina

* * *

><p>30th June 772<p>

Dear Shiranui Genma,

It is of my deepest regret to inform that Gekko Miyako has been declared K.I.A on 17th June. I express the utmost sympathy for your loss, as she was a great asset to Konoha. You have paid leave to return home for the funeral.

Yours sincerely,

Ueda Sadao, Hokage's Assistant

* * *

><p>5th July 772<p>

Dear Sadao,

Tell my Dad that if he's the goddamn Hokage who cares about his people so much, then make sure the letters are fucking personalised.

Yours sincerely,

Sarutobi Asuma

* * *

><p>15th November 772<p>

Happy birthday Rin!

You're finally a teenager! I hope you have a good birthday and you don't have to work too hard. It's been three years since I've seen you, I can't believe it's been that long. Remind me what you look like again? Joking, joking. I could never forget what you would look like.

In answer to your question, how do I keep so upbeat? It's the only thing I can do I guess. In a war like this I think if I stopped smiling every so often, I'm kind of afraid that I'd forget how. Yeah, weird isn't it?

Anyway, try and have some fun,

Obito

P.S. I remembered that you liked shells. Even though we're nowhere near the sea there are some pretty shells in the rivers around here. So I hope you like the necklace.

* * *

><p><em>28<em>_th__ November 772_

_Dear Hokage-Sama,_

_In regards to the boy in question I regret to inform you that I would not recommend him for promotion._

_ Admittedly he has developed vastly for these past three years. His sword skills are far beyond his years and he has already mastered his second element. Indeed I would go far as to say his skills are now jonin standard._

_ The boy has gained respect from others in the camp and though reserved when he voices his opinions they are usually valid. Like his father he has demonstrated an impressive mind for strategy._

_ However there is the problem of his mental maturity. In his latest mission, sadly, the boy showed a display childish naivety. He disobeyed orders and flouted the Ninja Code to save a teammate's life, which resulted in the failure of a crucial mission. I would suggest this is clearly a sign of arrogance and perhaps even mental instability, his father's death may have possible harmed the boy's mind._

_ At the current moment I have taken the boy off missions and I am investigating into his mental welfare. I apologise for the disappointing news and I shall inform you of any future development._

_Kind regards,_

_Orochimaru, Commander of the 2__nd__ Waterfall Outpost_

* * *

><p>29th November 772<p>

Rin,

I hope you're well. Sorry I haven't written in so long. I won't give you an excuse because everyone's preoccupied with the war.

I managed to get a cut across my forehead and a broken rib a few days ago. It doesn't really hurt so don't worry. The camp medic, Inuzuka Tsume, did a good job of patching me up. It was my fault anyway that I managed to get injured. I disobeyed orders to save a teammate's life but apparently you're not supposed to do that kind of thing.

Kakashi

P.S Happy belated birthday. Do you still like flowers? Here's a snowdrop anyway, sorry I couldn't get you anything better.

* * *

><p>7th December 772<p>

Sensei,

I heard the news. I can't believe the war is over in Suna! Does that mean you're going home now?

The war is endless here. It feels like we're at the same place we were when the war with Iwa started. Sorry, I shouldn't be so depressing. I'm just exhausted after spending 7 hours in a bog on stake out duty.

Hope to see you, Rin and Kakashi soon,

Obito

* * *

><p>23rd December 772<p>

Dear Uzumaki Kushina,

It is of my deepest regret to inform you that Hatake Kakashi has been declared K.I.A. on 19th December I express the utmost sympathy for your loss, as he was a great asset to Konoha. You have paid leave to return home for the funeral.

Yours Sincerely,

Ueda Sadao, Hokage's Assistant


	14. Arc III: Bonds: Chapter 13

**A/N: Hi, I hope you're all well and I'm really sorry about the delay. Thanks for being patient and thank you to all the people who've reviewed, faved and followed this so far!**

** I've left school now and I only have one more exam left to go, so after that updates will be back to normal speed :) Though to the people who are reading this and have left school already, did it feel like one massive anti-climax to you?**

**Anyway, originally I was intending to write the chapter so it went from Miyako's death (17th June) to when Kushina received the letter declaring Kakashi K.I.A (23rd December) but the scenes ended being a lot longer than I intended... So I had to cut it off at a natural point.**

**Hope you like the chapter!**

**16/6/12: To save you having to flick to the previous chapter for date references I've listed them below :)**

**November 771**

**Gekko Miyako starts tutoring Kakashi**

**June 772**

**17th - Gekko Miyako is declared K.I.A**

**30th - Letters sent out to inform Miyako's students about her death**

* * *

><p><strong>Arc III: Bonds<strong>

**Chapter 13**

14th June 772

"You call that the right posture? My seven year old son Hayate could do better," Gekko Miyako snorted, her eyes unsympathetic.

Beneath his mask, Kakashi scowled. He betted that Miyako didn't treat Hayate anything like this.

"What did I tell you about your feet, Hatake?" Miyako said and she walked forwards, pulling the chakra sabre from his hands. "Good footwork and-"

"Good swordsmanship go hand in hand," Kakashi cut in.

"Don't be a smart arse," Miyako whacked Kakashi across the back of the head. "I don't care if you're Sakumo-san's son. You're still a child."

It'd been just of a half a year ago when Miyako had started to watch Kakashi train. At first she had only stood at a distance, then it seemed that she was too disgusted by his lack of technique to just stand and watch. She was going to train Kakashi whether he liked it or not.

In some ways, despite the fact Miyako was an unforgiving trainer, Kakashi had found himself looking to these sessions. In the seven months his sword skills had dramatically improved thanks to Miyako's exercises.

However… There was one part of it that he hated.

"Sheathe your blade," Miyako ordered and she handed the White Fang back to Kakashi.

"I've been practising!" Kakashi protested, desperate to avoid the inevitable.

"Clearly not enough," Miyako raised an eyebrow.

Scowling, Kakashi sheathed the chakra sabre. Miyako seized his hands.

"Can't I lead?" Kakashi asked anxiously, glancing around. Luckily the small, muddy clearing they were training in the outpost was empty. At twelve years of age Kakashi was at the point where any source of contact with a female was an embarrassment.

"You," Miyako said and there was a flicker of amusement in her eyes. "Are too short."

She placed her hand on top of Kakashi's and the other at his waist. At that precise point he wanted to die.

Slowly they moved in a slow dance around the clearing. The first time Kakashi had done this, he had stepped on Miyako's feet several times much to her mirth. But like any genius, Kakashi had picked up dancing fast and now he moved easy grace that could make any girl sigh.

"See?" Miyako said, as she spun him around much to his humiliation. "After some practice you no longer move like a three-legged dog."

Kakashi decided to take that as a compliment. Though compared to Miyako he still moved like a complete amateur. Team 2's sensei danced with liquid elegance. Each move was perfectly executed and there was a touch of class to her posture.

Suddenly Kakashi jerked his head over to the palisade wall and his eyes narrowed.

"Concentrate Hatake," Miyako snapped.

Kakashi frowned. Recently every time they practised dancing he could have sworn… Someone was watching them.

The boys in the outpost already mirthlessly teased him about the dancing lessons. One of his bunkmates, seventeen year-old Sarutobi Tamotsu who was also Asuma's older brother, found especially hilarious. Gai sadly found it more youthfully inspiring than anything else and said that Kakashi danced with the 'flame of youth'. Then again apparently Miyako had forced dancing lessons upon her team… Maybe that's why Gai was so good at pirouetting.

Mind you, after Kakashi's skills drastically improved the teasing had lessened and eventually a couple of weeks ago Tamotsu had begrudgingly asked Kakashi for dancing advice.

Kakashi scowled up at Miyako, trying to shake off the feeling. For a nano-second he saw something flash in her dark irises. What was it? Amusement? Nostalgia? Maybe even sadness? Either way it vanished too quickly for Kakashi to guess.

Finally after must have been an hour dancing together, Miyako drew away and gave Kakashi a satisfied nod, "That'll do for today."

The slow setting sun bathed the clearing a strange red glow and the air was beginning to turn noticeably cooler despite the fact it was mid-summer. Land of Waterfall was a beautiful country before it had been torn apart by war. Most of Konoha's outposts were strategically located in the mountains but this gave the ninja majestic views of the valleys below. Huge waterfalls, larger than anything Kakashi could have imagined carved their way down the cliff faces. The roaring water could heard from miles away and if you stood up at the top you could see the network of rivers snaking their way through the lush forests below.

Though summer was pleasant in Waterfall country, the weather was bitterly cold in the winter. After spending two in the outpost Kakashi was not looking forward to the third. The first frost came around his birthday, killing the plants and the trees shed their leaves in mourning.

Kushina's scarf was still a little too long to be practical out on the field so Kakashi usually had to make do with multiple layers. Since it was June now, however, he was wearing newly purchased metal plated sleeves with his usual dark blue t-shirt and ninja pants. The Konoha flak jacket was pulled unzipped over his t-shirt and the White Fang was, of course, looped across his back. Kakashi had taken to wearing the flak jacket after a particularly nasty fight with an Iwa jonin. After all Kakashi would rather forsake individuality for practicality.

Suddenly the stark sound of applause cut through the air. Kakashi's muscles stiffened as a dark silhouette entered the clearing.

"I'm impressed," the person said and their yellow eyes glowed. "Even though you told me about the dancing lessons I hadn't realised how skilled you were, Kakashi-kun."

"Commander," Kakashi suppressed a shudder and inclined his head. Next to him Miyako merely jerked her head, her facial features becoming taut with tension.

Orochimaru chuckled, "Formal as always Kakashi-kun. In any case I wanted to speak to you privately about the mission that was mentioned in the meeting earlier today."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed. The mission that had been mentioned was certainly a tricky one. The strategy that had been formed was to attack the nearest Iwa outpost, which was located in the west about a two days walk from here. Due to increasing enemy reinforcements Konoha's forces had been struggling. The idea was to infiltrate the outpost and poison the water supply. Definitely not any easy task when they were outnumbered and in terrain that the enemy was familiar with.

"With all due respects Commander," Miyako suddenly cut in. "I hardly think the boy is ready to take on such a mission. He's not even a jonin."

Kakashi glanced at his tutor in surprise. Miyako rarely spoke out in meetings, let alone informally like this to the Commander.

"Oh but I'm sure that Kakashi-kun has heard the rumours," Orochimaru eyes gleamed.

Kakashi had heard the rumours. People had been whispering that he was likely to be put forward for promotion before his thirteenth birthday, even younger than Minato-sensei had been. Kakashi had dismissed it. Though he wanted to be promoted since his skills were nearing jonin standard he wanted to be promoted for his own ability, rather than just due to whom his father was.

"I would rather that I had more experience," Kakashi said, forcing a hint of respect into his voice. But Orochimaru had a hungry look about him. Behind his mask Kakashi bit his lip. He was being tested.

When Kakashi first joined the camp, Orochimaru had been fascinated with the young prodigy. Every week he would ask Kakashi to visit his tent. Though at first Kakashi had been concerned, the meetings had turned into a chore. Most of the time Orochimaru would want to see how fast Kakashi could catch a falling stone or ask him to pluck a fly from the air. Occasionally he questioned Kakashi about his friends, about his team, his lineage and sometimes one time he even asked about his father. When it came to the tasks they were mind-numbingly easy for Kakashi to perform but the questions had been a lot harder. His answers had been one-word and succinct but when it came to Sakumo, Kakashi had completely clammed up.

In some ways Orochimaru seemed almost _disappointed_ by the meetings. The answers about Kakashi's lineage never seemed to satisfy him and the answers about Team 7 had disgusted him. Yet when Kakashi had refused to answer about his father, his reaction had delighted Orochimaru. For days after the camp Commander had smirked at the young boy, much to Kakashi's agony.

It was only just over a year ago when small, dirty and newly promoted Mitarashi Anko had joined the camp had Orochimaru's attention been averted. For a reason that Kakashi could not fathom, the Camp Commander had a strange affinity with the girl.

"Hatake's right," Miyako said and she stepped forwards so she was standing in between Kakashi and Orochimaru. "You need someone more experienced to take part in the infiltration; I'll do it."

Kakashi's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to protest but Orochimaru got there first.

"Oh?" The Sannin raised an eyebrow and a slow smirk spread across his face. "How gracious of you, Miyako. I expect you at the mission briefing tonight then." Orochimaru spun on his heel and stalked out of the training compound.

As Orochimaru faded from sight Kakashi said, "You didn't have to do that."

"Oh but I did," Miyako sighed, her back still facing him. She glanced back at Kakashi and he suddenly realised how _exhausted_ she appeared. Her short mousey brown hair had faint hints of silver at the roots and beneath her eyes were faint purple bags. Despite her tough exterior, the war was taking its toll on Miyako. Kakashi could only guess how much she missed her son.

Miyako turned and walked back towards Kakashi. She stopped a metre away from him and said, "While I'm gone don't think that you can slack off. I'm going to get Gai to train with you."

Kakashi gave her a look of mild horror and he sincerely hoped she was not talking about the dancing lessons. Suddenly he felt a gentle whack across the back of his head.

"Now quit gawking and go get something to eat," Miyako gave him her customary scowl.

"Aren't you coming?" Kakashi asked as he rubbed the back of his head.

"No," Miyako said and her eyes glazed over. "I think I'll stay outside for a bit more…"

"Miyako… Th-"

"Just go, Kakashi," Miyako interjected before he could thank her.

With one last look Kakashi walked out of the compound, leaving Miyako to stare up at the crimson stained sky.

* * *

><p>Miyako's team left the following morning and two days later no news was heard from her team. By the 17th June, summer had finally arrived in Waterfall country. Not a single cloud stained the painfully blue sky and the air whispered promises of warmth. The day was such a beautiful one, the type that back home Kakashi would have savoured. If he were back in Konoha it would have been an early morning breakfast with Kushina. Then he would run out to meet Team 7. Minato and Rin would already be there of course, chatting away about techniques. They would wait for at least half an hour for Obito and go out to do a stupid D-rank mission. Then after a surprisingly fun day, the team would wind down at Ichiraku's as they ate ramen and enjoyed the evening sun. It was funny… Kakashi never realised how much those days meant to him.<p>

As he lay on his belly, obscured by jagged rocks, Kakashi's mind always seemed to wander while he was on watch. He couldn't help but wonder how everyone was doing. Of course the tales of Minato-sensei's heroics had floated over to Waterfall Country. People said he single-handedly stopped a tailed-beast from crushing an outpost, killed a thousand Suna nin with one attack and was also supposedly descended from the gods. Having seen the fabled Yellow Flash been reduced to a stuttering idiot around women, Kakashi highly doubted his sensei was a demi-god.

Kushina still wrote regularly, Rin's letters had been growing more and more sparse and he hadn't heard from Obito in over year.

"Hey I know it's nice and everything out here, but I've come to relieve you of your watch," a voice said.

Kakashi stood up, dusting bits of grit from his clothes. Sarutobi Tamotsu stood on a rock above him with an uncharacteristically serious face. It unnerved Kakashi slightly since the teenager was a notorious prankster.

"What's up?" Kakashi asked him.

Tamotsu fidgeted and fingered his long, cerulean scarf that'd been a gift from his girlfriend. "The infiltration team just got back… Well… What I mean to say is… I'm sorry Kakashi. Miyako-san is dead. The mission failed… Only three of them made it back alive. They managed to bring back Miyako and-"

At that point Kakashi stopped listening. A dull, empty roaring filled his ears. Dumbly he nodded his thanks to Tamotsu and began to head back to the camp.

Only three made it back alive? Three out of the eight made it back?

Kakashi ran into the outpost. Despite the sunny day a dejected air smothered the camp. He spotted a pair of jonin whispering by the mess tent.

"Excuse me," Kakashi asked them, his voice sounding eerily distant. "Where-?"

"Medic's tent," one of the jonin told him and his eyes clouded over. "Tsume is preparing the bodies."

"The Commander is debriefing the survivors," the other jonin added darkly.

Kakashi nodded his thanks and moved away. Just as left the jonin he heard one add, "Poor kid. I heard Miyako took him on as a student."

"Doesn't seem fair does it?" The other whispered as Kakashi's throat closed up. "To be that age and to be caught up in this war…"

There were three tents for the camp medic, Inuzuka Tsume. The first was for first aid, the second was for more serious injuries and those recovering. The third was a place to store bodies before they were taken back to Konoha.

Though Tsume had more experience with animal injuries than human. No wonder she looked so exhausted all the time.

Whenever Kakashi saw Tsume he was always reminded of Rin and he wondered how she was faring when medic ninja were in such high demand.

Kakashi ducked under the flap and the sickly smell of death filled his senses. Bile rose up, the stomach acid burning his throat.

Tsume was kneeling down, cleaning up a man Kakashi didn't recognise. Blood stained her hands and she glared up at him.

"You shouldn't be here," She said sharply.

But Kakashi wasn't listening. Instead his eyes wandered over to the second body. A sheet covered this one but he knew who it was.

Tsume's expression suddenly softened and she said, "You can say goodbye if you want."

Kakashi jerked. Awkwardly, with his back to the camp medic, he kneeled down next to the body.

With a dull numbness, he slowly pulled back the sheet. Miyako lay beneath the sheet and with her eyes closed she looked almost serene. As if she had been expecting death and that when they'd met, Miyako had walked willingly into the next life. Kakashi was not a religious person. Ever since his father died, he'd found it hard to believe in or seek comfort in any kind of deity. But now… As he stared at Miyako… Childish thoughts filled his mind that she was somewhere in a different world. Somewhere where there were no wars or hatred.

A sudden wave of heavy, bitter guilt filled Kakashi stomach. It should be him lying there. It shouldn't be Miyako. If anything Miyako deserved to live more, after all she had a son.

From behind his mask, Kakashi bit his lip and his hands began to shake. He stared at her pale face. Death seemed to emphasise the bags beneath her eyes and a faint blue tinge clouded her lips.

Through the cloud of guilt and grief, Kakashi struggled to find something to say but no poignant words managed to surface. Instead Kakashi closed his eyes. He bowed his head and mumbled out clumsily, "May the tides of Whirlpool bring you sweet dreams."

Struggling to control his breathing, Kakashi replaced the sheet over Miyako and stumbled to his feet. He stared at his feet as he mumbled his thanks to Tsume and Kakashi ducked out of the tent.

He walked through the camp, right to its very outskirts until he reached one of the palisade towers. Slowly, as the sun poured down warm light Kakashi climb up the many ladders until he reached the top.

The old jonin on watch turned and raised an eyebrow. "Hey lad," he said. "You aren't on duty till another three hours."

"I decided to relieve you early," Kakashi shrugged.

The jonin gave him a concerned look but said nothing. Instead he merely gripped Kakashi's shoulder and then descended down the ladder.

For what seemed like days but must have only been hours, Kakashi stared out over the wooden walls. His entire body was awash with an exhausted numbness. He felt… So… _tired_ and right now he just wanted to speak to Kushina. He missed her sunny smile, her loud laughter and constant teasing.

Suddenly the sound of footsteps clambering up the ladder broke his reverie but Kakashi continued to resolutely stare out at the horizon.

A small, skinny figure joined him by the wall. She was a dirty, waif like thing. In mud stained shorts and a too big t-shirt. Scabs and bruises decorated her knees and nasty cut adorned her cheek. Not to mention that her hair resembled a tangled explosion.

Anko didn't say anything as she stood next to Kakashi and she rested her head in between the gap of two wooden stakes. No generic apologies or condolences. Nothing. But silence was the best source of comfort that anyone could have given.

"If you want to cry its ok, y'know?" Anko suddenly said.

Kakashi jerked his head away from the view and gazed down at her in surprise.

"Did you cry when your mum died?" The question slipped from Kakashi's lips and he immediately winced.

Anko's mother, Mitarashi Imoni, also known as the crazy chunin examiner had been killed in a chakra mine formed down in the Wind Country. Suna seemed to favour ambushes like that so many Konoha ninja had been killed from chakra mines or poison or hidden puppet traps. Imoni had died a few months before Anko had been promoted to chunin.

When she'd arrived at the outpost Kakashi didn't even recognise her as the cheerful, cheeky young girl who'd stuck her tongue out at him during the Final chunin exam. She'd been furious at the entire world and resembled more of a feral animal than a girl. Maybe it was because Orochimaru had made her his apprentice that she'd calmed down. Or maybe it was because Kakashi had befriended her when no one else dared to approach her. Either way Anko had toned down to the point that you could actually hold a civil conversation with her.

Still, speaking about Anko's mother was still a taboo subject.

This time though, Anko didn't explode. Instead she shrugged and muttered, "Everyone would cry if their mum died."

She pulled out kunai from her weapons pouch and began to carve patterns in the wood. "Did you cry when your dad died?" She asked, not looking at him. Kakashi watched as she scraped out a strange wobbly shape.

"No," Kakashi answered truthfully. He didn't know if it'd been the shock or because he'd always struggled with his emotions. Kakashi wasn't too sure but he hadn't shed a tear when Sakumo died. Maybe he was just too screwed up to know _how_ to grieve.

Anko gave him an askance look. "You're weird," she said.

Kakashi felt this was a bit rich coming from Anko but then she was showing concern if her own strange kind of way.

He glanced back down to see Anko had carved a hissing snake onto the wood. He opened his mouth then closed it again. Talking about Orochimaru would just start an argument and Anko would probably refuse to speak with him for a couple of weeks.

"They're having the memorial service tonight," Anko told him. "And Gai is going to be part of the team to escort the bodies back home."

"How is he?" Kakashi asked; knowing Gai would be devastated that his sensei had been killed in action.

"Crying," Anko said. "I'd leave him alone for now… Maybe try finding him when your watch is over?"

Kakashi nodded. He didn't really feel like listening to Orochimaru give a speech about the fallen. No doubt the Sannin would have disappeared off to his lab now.

The lab was a building just outside the outpost, hidden by rocks and many shielding techniques. The Second Hokage long ago established it as a secret research centre though it was later abandoned during the Second War. It was only recently that when Orochimaru had assumed command at the outpost had he started using the building. No one knew exactly went on inside there and no one particularly wanted to know either. All Kakashi knew was that top-secret activities occurred in there and you were only allowed inside with the highest possible clearance.

Despite this, Anko had been inside once with permission from Orochimaru. Though she it was pretty boring inside and all the Sannin showed her was the shed skin from a rare white snake.

They stood together in silence once more. Kakashi thought about writing to Minato-sensei but then decided against. His sensei had more important things to worry about. Kakashi's fists tightened. It was time that he grew up and handled things for himself.

Sadly… Little did Kakashi know was that even if he was a fully grown and experienced jonin, he was about to find himself far, far out of his depth.

* * *

><p>July welcomed the Land of Waterfall with a shimmering heat wave, unlike any other that the country had experience in decades. With the hot weather came new hope. Somehow it didn't matter to the Konoha forces that they were being pushed back. News had spread that they were winning down south against Suna. The heroics of the Yellow Flash had revived the camp with a new vigour. The ninja were keen to show that they could do just as well against Iwa.<p>

Without Gai around however, Kakashi didn't feel the hope that the others shared. He felt so isolated without his friend or Miyako's lessons. Anko was increasingly spending more time with Orochimaru who she was now calling 'sensei'. Of course Tamotsu spent his free time drinking beer with his friends, illegally of course.

In the monotonous routine of the war Kakashi spent his free time honing in his skills. He'd already mastered his second element. It was just his first ever, original technique that was giving him trouble.

He stood in a small clearing, sheltered by rocks just outside the outpost walls. This technique was going to be his secret weapon and Kakashi definitely did not want Orochimaru to find out about it.

His brow creased with concentration. Forming the necessary seals, Kakashi grabbed his wrist and focused the chakra into his palm. Blinding, white electricity screamed and crackled around his hand.

Taking a deep breath, Kakashi tore forwards with an inhuman speed. An explosion of dust followed in his wake and with one clean thrust Kakashi struck a boulder. The rock cracked and exploded with a resounding boom.

As dust and tiny bits of shrapnel showered Kakashi, he panted, "Only three times then…"

Suddenly there was a shout and Kakashi turned his head to see Sarutobi Tamotsu sprinting towards him.

"Hey Kakashi!" Tamotsu shouted, his long blue scarf trailing behind him.

"It's fine, I'm just training!" Kakashi called back.

Tamotsu stopped and stood on a rock above Kakashi, appearing slightly miffed. "Training?" He said incredulously. "Jeez, we heard the noise and thought you were being attacked."

Kakashi shrugged and brushed bits of grit off his shoulders. He really was going to need a shower tonight.

"You should take some time off you know?" Tamotsu continued and he leapt down to Kakashi's level. "When I was twelve I was pranking the clan and making Asuma's life hell."

"I'm still not technically allowed off premises remember?" Kakashi reminded him. He also refrained from pointing out that Tamotsu hadn't been sent out to fight a war when he was twelve.

"Damn he still won't let you leave?" Tamotsu frowned. "But you're just as capable as us… Well I guess you're a bit young to go to the nearest town to drink… Hey did I tell you about the time my friend went to the local brothel and-"

Something suddenly drew Kakashi's attention away from Tamotsu's lurid story. Up above them where the secret lab was located, Kakashi detected a faint burst of chakra. He narrowed his eyes and saw a slight shimmer among the rocks that had nothing to do with the heat.

"So then it turned out that the prostitute was a man," Tamotsu concluded. "… Hey Kakashi what's a matter?"

"I think there may be an enemy up there," Kakashi nodded towards the lab.

Tamotsu's face darkened. Together they carefully advance their way up the rocky slope. Kakashi suddenly stopped.

"The barriers are down," Kakashi muttered.

Tamotsu nodded. He bit his thumb and formed some seals. "Summoning technique," he said slamming his palm onto the ground.

A small monkey with a pair of goggles strapped over it's eyes, appeared before them. "Tell the commander that the barrier around the lab has been breached and that Kakashi and I are going to investigate," Tamotsu told his summon.

The monkey saluted and scampered away. Kakashi and Tamotsu crept closer to the lab but as the rocks grew sparser, they felt horribly exposed.

"This place is seriously creepy," Tamotsu muttered and Kakashi glanced up at the low, stone building. There weren't any windows he noticed and it reminded him more of a tomb than a lab.

Suddenly, Kakashi saw a shimmer from behind Tamotsu. It was his reflexes that saved his comrade. Kakashi reached into his weapons pouch and hurled a handful of shruiken at the shimmer.

Tamotsu yelped and dove to the left just as an Iwa nin materialised. "Konoha's White Fang," the enemy ninja snarled, his eyes fixating on Kakashi's hair.

Now completely used to this reaction Kakashi drew the chakra sabre and launched himself at the Iwa nin.

His opponent drew a kunai, parrying Kakashi's attack. Undeterred Kakashi sent a vicious riposte, aiming a slash towards the Iwa nin's unprotected belly.

The Iwa nin bent backwards, just as Tamotsu slammed a fist into his chest from behind. The enemy ninja was hammered into the ground and Kakashi flashed forward, so the White Fang hovered above the Iwa nin's throat.

"Are there any more of you?" Kakashi knelt beside his head, pressing the blade into his jugular.

But the Iwa nin didn't answer. The malicious look had vanished from his face and instead his eyes were fixated on Tamotsu. Kakashi glanced back to see his comrade had turned white with horror as he stared back at the Iwa nin.

"Tamotsu?" Kakashi glanced from the two ninja, confused.

"T-that can't be possible," Tamotsu whispered in terror.

Kakashi looked back down at the Iwa nin and swore. The enemy ninja's face had turned to a delicate shade of blue and his limbs began to violently twitch. Suddenly a cough ripped its way through the Iwa nin's body. Blood and a disgusting white substance sprayed from his mouth, spattering Kakashi's face. The Iwa nin's gargled on his own blood and his eyes rolled back… Then… He was still.

"Damn it," Kakashi said, standing up. Their only lead was dead.

He glanced back at Tamotsu who was staring down at the corpse with wide eyes. "Did you know him or something?" Kakashi asked.

Tamotsu shook himself and said slowly, "I… I don't understand this at all but…" He looked at Kakashi. "I killed that man last week in a skirmish and I'm pretty sure I killed him because I remember that fight…"

Kakashi frowned. Something about this was definitely not right. After all, the Iwa nin was probably a chunin and no ordinary chunin could break the barrier surrounding the lab. But before he could say anything Kakashi detected another shimmer from the side of the lab.

"Another enemy," he nodded. Tamotsu nodded but it was clear he was too shaken to fight.

"Stay with the body," Kakashi decided. "Orochimaru will probably want to look at it and reinforcements should be here by now."

"Be careful," Tamotsu told him.

Kakashi nodded and advance his way to the building. Leaning against the wall, he slid along until he was at the corner of the building. For a brief moment Kakashi closed his eyes but he couldn't sense the presence anymore.

Muscles poised, he slowly lifted chakra sabre and tilted it so he could see round the corner. But the shimmer had vanished and in the reflective surface of the blade Kakashi could see the side door of the lab had been left wide open.

With cautious steps, Kakashi continued his way until he was standing right next to the door way. Cold, clammy air blew out from the entrance and it carried the horrible cloying scent of decay.

Kakashi knew he was forbidden to enter the lab but he felt that the safety of the outpost took a much higher precedent over the rules. Using the White Fang as a mirror again, there was no sign of the enemy.

He steadied his breathing and turned to face the doorway.

Dark steps, that seemed to descend into the bowels of the earth, leered at him. Below Kakashi could see shadows flickering against the walls and weak guttering lamps lit the way. As he walked down the stairs, a blast of icy air hit his face.

_Must be something to do with research, _Kakashi thought as the temperature steadily decreased with each step. The escape from the summer heat would have been pleasant if it weren't for the all too familiar stench of death.

Finally, Kakashi made it the bottom of the stairs and he found himself in a long corridor. There were still signs of abandonment from the time of the Second. Cracks threaded their way where the ceiling met the wall and the metals doors along the side had rusted with age.

Suddenly a sharp whistling pierced the air and Kakashi ducked just in time as windmill shruiken sailed over his head. He whirled around to see an Iwa nin standing at the end of the corridor.

"What do you want from here?" Kakashi called to him.

But the Iwa nin simply laughed at the boy and he vanished again. Kakashi cursed, running after him. He flew down the corridor, skidding left round the corner to find the Iwa nin backed against the wall of a dead end.

"You must be the White Fang's brat," the Iwa nin snarled. He drew a kunai and launched himself at Kakashi. The sheer brute force of the attack forced Kakashi onto the defensive as he frantically parried the Iwa nin's blows.

Kakashi feinted to the left and aimed an uppercut towards his enemy's chest. The Iwa nin threw his full weight into blocking the blow and as the blades clashed together, Kakashi's eyes met with his opponent's.

The Iwa nin's eyes gleamed with pure insanity and he gave a manic laugh. Kakashi leapt back and with his free hand he reached into his weapons pouch and hurled some shruiken at the Iwa nin. Instead of parrying the blades, the Iwa nin simply let them hammer into his chest as he charged at Kakashi.

Kakashi was momentarily stunned by the man's madness. He barely had time to block the man's next attack and this time the blow caused the White Fang to fly out of his hands.

The Iwa nin gave Kakashi a huge sadistic grin. His kunai clattered to the floor and before Kakashi could react, the Iwa nin's hands fastened around his throat.

"I'm not going back, he can't take me back," the man chanted and kneeling down he stamped a foot onto one of Kakashi's flailing hands.

The lack of oxygen caused Kakashi to panic and with his free hand he feebly tried to reach for his weapons pouch. The Iwa nin applied more pressure to his oesophagus and Kakashi's vision began to blur.

Suddenly the Iwa nin coughed and something warm and wet sprayed onto Kakashi's face. The grip around his throat loosened and he took in a deep greedy breath. As his vision began to clear he saw blood and the same white substance from earlier bubbling from his attacker's mouth.

With a low gargle the Iwa nin slumped forwards, crushing Kakashi with his dead weight.

Kakashi blinked away the man's blood from his eyes, then using his remaining strength he managed to push the Iwa nin away.

For a moment Kakashi lay there and for the first time in years he was shaken. That fight had not been about skill. He only managed to scrape through it alive because the man inexplicably died. All his training had gone out of the window and had been replaced by pure panic.

Breathing a deep, reassuring breath Kakashi sat up. He wiped away most of the blood and white substance from his face with a hand.

_I have to get out of here,_ Kakashi thought. _Why are the reinforcements taking so long?_

He tried to stand but found that his muscles were shaking from exhaustion. The vigorous training from earlier had taken its toll and he was still badly shaken from the struggle with the Iwa nin. Instead, Kakashi shuffled backwards so his back was against the icy cold metal of a door.

But just as Kakashi leant against the door for support it suddenly screeched open. He fell back onto the ground with a groan.

It was then that Kakashi noticed that frost coated the floor in this room. His breath came out in icy wisps and he began to shiver.

"A freezer?" Kakashi muttered, sitting up.

Suddenly his eyes dilated and bile rose up in Kakashi's throat. He staggered to his feet in pure horror and gazed around the large room.

This place wasn't a lab. It was a slaughterhouse.

Ninja. Countless ninja were strung up from the ceiling as if they were nothing more than slabs of meat. Some had their eyes wide open; others' faces were contorted in agony. Ice covered the bodies that could have been here for days, months, years even.

Many ninja wore the Iwa uniform but what caused Kakashi's fear was the fact that he could see the green Konoha flak jacket among them. Comrades who Kakashi recognised hung and stared at him accusingly.

Then… Kakashi eyes fixated on one particular Konoha jonin. Gekko Miyako, whose body was supposed to in Konoha, was hanging from the ceiling.

His breath coming out in short painful bursts, Kakashi turned and lurched out of the freezer. Spotting the White Fang that was hidden among the rubble, he scooped it up and sheathed the blade.

Through his shock, Kakashi's intellect told him to keep moving.

As he limped down the corridor he found his mind churning, refusing to accept what he'd just discovered.

If Miyako was in there… Then who or what had Gai escorted back to Konoha?

Kakashi's body began to shake and cold, clammy sweat trickle its way down his forehead. He coughed and the bitter metallic taste of blood filled his mouth.

_The white substance!_ Kakashi realised. _It must have been poison._

Both Iwa nin had coughed it all over his face.

Kakashi finally reached the bottom of the stairs and he caught the faint scent of beautiful fresh air. The sunny light beckoned him but his foot snagged on the first step. Kakashi crashed to the floor and his vision swam.

He tried to drag himself up but his muscles seized up. The light ahead began to dim. Eventually it extinguished as Kakashi blacked out.


	15. Chapter 14

**A/N: Monster chapter today! Sorry if you don't like long chapters but I couldn't find a part to split it into two... If you do find one feel free to let me know. Also if you're wondering where Obito and Rin are they'll appear in the next chapter, I promise that I have not forgotten about them! Minato's in this chapter however :)**

**Dates**

1412 karasu **raised a good point about how annoying it was to flick back to the chapter with letters for reference – to be honest I was getting pretty annoyed when I was writing it too. So to save you having to go back I've listed important reference dates for this chapter and the previous one:)**

**July **

**5th - Kakashi's escapade to the lab**

**November **

**15th - Rin's birthday**

**26th- Kakashi ignores orders and saves a teammate's life.**

**28th - Orochimaru's letter to the Hokage.**

**December **

**1st - War ends in Suna**

**19th - Kakashi is declared K.I.A**

**23rd - Letters sent out.**

**Hope you enjoy the chapter and that this answers a lot of the questions!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14<strong>

9th July 772

_The forest seemed much sparser this time as Kakashi ran through it and so still. There were no cries of dying ninja nor was there the metallic scent of blood permeating the air. Yet… No sunlight penetrated the leaves. _

_ Kakashi skidded to a halt, panting. The crimson scarf from Kushina swung as it cascaded down to his knees. It was still the same forest. Even though he had no idea where he was or how he got there, it was always this forest; the same sickening maze of trees that Kakashi found impossible to escape from._

_ He gazed around, at the huge gnarled roots that surged in a twisted arc. The bark on the tree was mottled with strange alien moss that was a decaying grey. It seemed that the forest was dying. Vicious marks from kunai scarred the tree trunks and even the leaves were shruiken-shaped. One lone leaf fluttered down, spinning in a lazy fashion. Finding himself fascinated, Kakashi reached up in an attempt to catch the leaf. The shruiken leaf spun just out of reach but it nicked the tip of his finger._

_ With a frown, Kakashi examined his finger to see a bright droplet dribble and stain the edges of his fingernail. He wiped the blood away with his thumb then reaching up he realised that he wasn't wearing the silk scarf from Kushina. The scarf was actually hair. Kushina's hair. The locks shimmered and slipped from his neck. As they hit the grass floor, the hair dissolved into blood turning the dead shruiken leaves beneath his feet crimson._

_Kakashi stumbled backwards but then in amongst the blood stained leaves there was a metallic glint._

_Curiosity took over and Kakashi stooped down to find a fragment of a long forgotten rusted blade. Despite the fact he had no way of knowing, Kakashi immediately knew which blade the fragment came from._

_He stared at the piece of metal in his hand, corroded away by neglect and time. Curling his fist, Kakashi stood._

_There! He narrowed his eyes and stared into the trees. A faint, white light streaked through the undergrowth._

"_Dad?" Kakashi called. He tried to take a step forwards but the blood had congealed, gluing his feet to the ground._

_No matter how hard he tugged and pulled, his feet refused budge. All Kakashi could do was watch as the white light faded from sight._

Time passed Kakashi by in one painful blur. He couldn't tell the difference between hallucinations, dreams or reality. Bright lights stung his eyes and tinny voices punctuated his disorientated thoughts. One time it felt as if his body was on fire then the next he remembered being incredibly cold as his limbs shivered.

Eventually, Kakashi regained consciousness. He found that his throat was burning and his tongue lolled around in his mouth like a piece of rolled up sandpaper. The dehydration almost made him vomit but Kakashi forced himself to calm down.

_One thing at a time,_ he thought. _One thing a time… Try opening your eyes._

Slowly, he pushed his eyelids open and harsh light burned his eyes. Water blurred his vision but Kakashi forced his retinas to adjust.

He was lying in a tent, probably one of the medic's tents. For a moment, Kakashi stared at the canvas as it flapped from the outside wind. How long had he been unconscious for? Who had found him? Did they discover the bodies?

The questions and the memories from the lab caused his head to spin. Briefly, Kakashi shut his eyes. One thing at a time.

"Kakashi!" A loud voice cried and he felt a gust of reassuringly cold air hit his face. "Kakashi, you're alive!"

_Evidently, _Kakashi thought. He couldn't even summon enough saliva to wet his mouth to speak.

A grinning face peered over Kakashi. Caterpillar eyebrows, shiny bowl cut and manly tears glowed in the person's eyes.

Dimly Kakashi realised how much he'd missed Gai.

"When I got back yesterday they told me you'd been poisoned by some Iwa nins!" Gai said vanishing from sight. Slowly, Kakashi tilted his head to the side to find Gai kneeling beside him.

… Poison? The memory of the Iwa nin coughing up blood and the white substance flashed through Kakashi's mind. But who had poisoned the Iwa nins in the first place?

Then Kakashi spied a jug of water and a cup on a tray next to his bedroll.

"Tsume said that you've been unconscious for four days," Gai told him, his face suddenly serious. "It was only thanks to Commander that they managed to find an antidote."

With a shaky hand, Kakashi reached out towards the jug of water. Seeing this, Gai poured him a cup and helped Kakashi to sit up.

After a large gulp, Kakashi croaked, "Do they know who poisoned them?"

Gai gave Kakashi a frown, "What do you-"

"They took poison themselves because they didn't want to be captured," another voice cut in. The two boys glanced over as Anko entered the tent. She looked exhausted and her small face was screwed up in an enormous scowl. Idly, Kakashi wondered if he'd somehow managed to offend her by being poisoned.

Anko knelt down next to Gai and gave Kakashi a hard stare. She then said with her usual bluntness, "You're an idiot."

"Thank you," Kakashi nodded.

"I mean it," Anko glared and she clenched her fists. "You should have waited for backup before going into the lab. But oh no. You had to be, Hatake Kakashi, the big hero. Waltz in and get poisoned. Idiot."

Kakashi felt this was rather uncalled for seeing as he'd just spent the last four days unconscious. "Tamotsu was too shaken up to go in with me," he retorted. He finished the cup of water and placed it back on the tray. "If I had waited the Iwa nin may have slipped away."

"If sensei hadn't found you, you'd be _dead_," Anko cut in, raising her voice. Her eyes burned into him and Kakashi looked away.

So Orochimaru had been the one who found him. Kakashi gripped his sheets. Orochimaru always spent time inside the lab. He must have already _known_ about the bodies. The Iwa nin couldn't possibly be escapees, they neither had the ability or sanity to break the barriers. No, they must have been a bait of some kind. But why?

Kakashi frowned. Orochimaru had been constantly assessing him; maybe this was some kind of sick test. If so why had he let Kakashi escape with the knowledge of what was going on inside the lab? He refused to believe that anyone else knew what was going on inside there. The Third would never allow it.

That's when it hit him. The sick realisation that if Kakashi told someone about the bodies, no one would believe him. Orochimaru was one of the legendary Sannin. Jiraiya and the Hokage trusted him. No doubt if Kakashi made such an accusation without proof, he'd be carted away to the psychiatric ward. Orochimaru would probably claim it was a hallucination from the poison or that Kakashi had been driven insane from the war.

Minato-sensei might believe him but even if he did what could he do? The Yellow Flash was miles away fighting the war against Suna. There was nothing he could do.

"Don't you _care_?" Anko said, mistaking his silence for apathy. "Don't you care that you could have died?"

Slowly, Kakashi realised that someone had pulled down his mask presumably to treat him. He pulled it up and gave Anko a blank look. He was alive so why was she so angry with him?

"You know what? Forget it," Anko said, her eyes freezing over. She stood and stormed out of the tent.

There's a moment silence until Gai voiced quietly, "You should apologise to her." He stood up and Kakashi saw that Gai was still clearly mourning the loss of his sensei. There wasn't the eccentric bounce to his movements and he looked frighteningly serious.

Kakashi shrugged, wondering what exactly he'd done to upset Anko so much but then she was always so unpredictable. One moment she'd be fine and would happily spar with him. The next she'd be screaming about how much she hated him. Others she'd be quiet and sulky, refusing to acknowledge his existence. Despite the fact he was prodigy, Kakashi found Anko unfathomable.

"Apologise to her," Gai repeated. "Then we can run five-hundred laps around the outpost with a thousand sit-ups as a cool down and then gaze into the manly sunset!"

That sounded like the Gai Kakashi knew.

"Fine," Kakashi sighed, feeling a bit miffed that he had no idea what he had to apologise for.

Gai jumped up and gave Kakashi his trademark thumbs up. "Until next time, rival!" Gai grinned and he bounded out of the tent.

Kakashi drew his legs up and rested his head on his knees. The memory of Miyako's frozen face caused him to shudder. Right now, all Kakashi could do was sit and wait for Orochimaru to play the next move.

* * *

><p>It was the following evening when Kakashi was finally released from the medical tent. The first thought that had popped into his head was to write to Rin. After all he had promised to write if he was injured. But… What would he write? Dear Rin, sorry but I managed to get poisoned from some Iwa nins who were already poisoned and, oh, by the way Orochimaru has hidden a stash of dead bodies in a freezer. Somehow, Kakashi didn't think so. If anything it might endanger her if she knew.<p>

Instead Kakashi decided to seek out Anko and apologise for whatever it was he had done yesterday. He'd already tried the mess tent and the tent where she was bunking but couldn't find her.

Kakashi skirted past the shower blocks when he suddenly heard a furious yell from the training area. With a frown he walked over to see Anko throwing kunai at a dummy with vicious accuracy. As Kakashi approached she ignored him. Now out of kunai, Anko proceeded to pummel the training dummy with her fists.

For a moment he watched. Despite the fact that she was a small ten-year-old girl, Kakashi knew she was surprisingly strong. Though her ninja techniques were fairly ok, it was her aim that amazed Kakashi. Anko never missed a target and she swore that she once had killed a fly from twenty paces away with a dango stick. Kakashi somehow doubted that but he could see why Orochimaru had chosen her as his protégé.

Anko slammed her fist into the dummy's head. Panting, she straightened and glared at Kakashi.

"Piss off," she snarled as she began to extract her kunai from the dummy's chest.

"I'm sorry," Kakashi said, giving her a sideways look.

"You don't mean that," Anko glowered as she collected the last of the kunai. "Gai told you to say that didn't he?"

Kakashi repressed the urge to groan. "I came here out of my own choice, I could have decided not to," he pointed out.

"Thanks," Anko said acidly.

"I wasn't _trying_ to be a hero," Kakashi lowered his voice. He stared at the abused dummy for a moment and added, "I was just trying to protect my comrades."

Anko mulled over his answer and finally muttered, "Come on… Let's get something to eat."

Kakashi's eyes widened slightly but he nodded and followed her. As they walked out of the training compound Anko suddenly said, "Try not to be an idiot again. You're supposed to be a genius. Act like one."

From behind his mask, the corners of Kakashi's mouth twitched but he nodded.

As usual the mess tent was full of raucous ninja. Kakashi and Anko queued up for their broth and found Gai who was sitting at one of the benches.

"Kakashi!" Gai exclaimed and some broth dribbled down his chin. Anko sniggered as she and Kakashi sat opposite him.

"What's the latest challenge going be?" She asked Gai. "Better not be rock-paper-scissors again."

"My eternal rival and I have decided to have a competition of running the perimeter three hundred times!" Gai grinned.

"Huh?" Kakashi said, blinking. This was the first he had heard about it.

"Your attitude is so hip Kakashi!" Gai said so loudly it caused the group at the bench behind them to cringe.

Feeling glad that both Anko and Gai were distracted, Kakashi pulled down his mask and gulped down his broth. In a matter of minutes he'd finished and his mask was back in place.

"You shouldn't eat so fast," Anko scolded as she turned around to look at him. "You've only just recovered."

Gai however appeared positively traumatised that Kakashi had managed to finish his meal before him. "Gah you've done it again!" Gai shook his fist at his friend. "No matter, I shall beat you next time!"

"What at indigestion?" Anko muttered as Kakashi rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

Somehow with the buzz of the mess tent, Gai's antics and Anko's sarcastic comments Kakashi felt a small amount of the tension from his body ease away. That was until he heard a loud voice say, "Hey Kakashi! Glad to see you're ok!"

Kakashi glanced up to see Tamotsu grinning. He slipped down into the spare space next to Gai.

"How're you?" Kakashi asked, remembering Tamotsu's terrified face. Maybe… Maybe with Tamotsu backing him his accusation against Orochimaru may hold. After all Tamotsu was the Hokage's son.

But all hope was dashed as Tamotsu gave an awkward shrug, "Alright. I was out for a couple of days like you after I was poisoned. Kind of annoying that I can't remember anything about what had happened."

Kakashi's eyes widened and suddenly he felt slightly sick. "You… Can't remember anything?" He asked.

Tamotsu shook his head, "I couldn't tell the Commander anything. He didn't seem to mind though, so said it was understandable and all that… Oh yeah, speaking of which, he wants to see you."

"Now?" Kakashi bit his lip.

"Now," Tamotsu confirmed. "Probably wants to see how your memory is."

Kakashi stood and nodding his thanks to his friends, he exited the mess tent.

_Maybe I wasn't supposed to find the bodies,_ Kakashi thought as his fists tightened. _After all he wiped Tamotsu's memory… Maybe I'm not supposed to remember anything either?_

Steeling himself, Kakashi stood outside Orochimaru's tent and said, "Commander?"

"Enter," Orochimaru's voice said.

For a moment Kakashi hesitated, then he ducked under the flap.

Orochimaru's tent was a lot larger than that of any ordinary ninja. Instead of the regulation canvas sheet covering the ground, the Commander had thick rugs. A thin sheet partitioned off the sleeping area and in the area Kakashi was in now was a desk.

Orochimaru sat at the desk, writing something and he motioned for Kakashi to sit in the chair opposite him.

Kakashi paused for a moment as a very important lesson floated in his mind.

_"Dad?" Kakashi asked Sakumo one evening as they sat on the porch drinking tea. Well Sakumo was drinking tea; Kakashi was drinking juice._

_ "Hm?" Sakumo glanced down at his six-year-old son._

_ "When you sit down at meetings and stuff," Kakashi frowned, remembering the extremely boring meeting his father had hosted today with the Head of the Uchiha Clan. "You sit down on the wrong way, but when it's just us you sit down on it the right way."_

_ Sakumo chuckled and set down his tea. He stood and gestured for Kakashi to follow him. Leaving his juice on the porch, Kakashi followed his father into the house. Sakumo dragged a chair forwards from the dining table and gestured for Kakashi to sit._

_ "Now," Sakumo said. "When you sit like that it's very easy to attack you. See?" He gently prodded his son in the stomach causing Kakashi to giggle. "Turn the chair the other way."_

_ Kakashi slipped off and reversed the chair. He was too small to sit on it properly so instead he kneeled and propped his chin on the back._

_ "See now there's a nice sturdy slab of wood in between us," Sakumo smiled patting the back of the chair._

_ "If you sit like this so it's harder to attack," Kakashi said. "Why do you sit like this in meetings?"_

_ Sakumo's features darkened slightly and he said, "Habit Kakashi. Habit and experience…" His features lightened again and he laughed, "But you're too small at the moment to sit warrior-style!"_

_ "I'll grow," Kakashi scowled._

_ "I don't doubt that," Sakumo smiled. "And I look forward to seeing it!"_

Remembering his father's lesson, Kakashi smoothly reversed the chair and sat down. He had always sat this way when meeting with Orochimaru but somehow the lesson seemed more important than ever.

Orochimaru finally looked up from his desk and smirked, "So… How are you feeling, Kakashi-kun?"

"Fine," Kakashi nodded. "… Thank you."

The Sannin leant forwards, resting his chin on his hands. "How much do you recall?" Orochimaru asked.

"Nothing," Kakashi lied. "The memory of what happened is hazy… It must be a side effect of the poison because Tamotsu has the same problem. Sorry I cannot be of any help."

"Oh?" Orochimaru raised an eyebrow and an amused gleam filled his eyes. "I see."

The Sannin picked up the piece of paper he had been writing on and handed it to Kakashi. "I was wondering whether you knew what this meant," Orochimaru asked casually.

Kakashi glanced down at what Orochimaru had written and his heart stopped. Written on the paper, in the code that he had been using to write to Minato-sensei was: _I know._

His hands shaking slightly, Kakashi gave Orochimaru the paper back and answered, "I'm afraid I can't help you there."

He forced his face to remain impassive but Orochimaru's smile merely widened.

"The dead, Kakashi-kun," Orochimaru said. "Are merely instruments or tools if you like. You may hold some sentimentality to a corpse but in reality it is merely decaying flesh. Don't you recall what I told you three years ago?"

"Death is something to be solved… Not dwelled upon," Kakashi muttered, remembering the Sannin words.

Orochimaru nodded, he then waved a hand in dismissal. Kakashi stared at the Sannin for a moment, still digesting everything that had been said. Then he stood and left the tent as reality hit him hard.

There was nothing he could do and now… He couldn't even contact Minato-sensei. Kakashi was well and truly alone.

* * *

><p>5th November 772<p>

"Who would have thought?" Choza murmured. "All this time… A teenage boy from Suna killed the Third Kazekage."

Minato, Choza and Shikaku stood in one of the medical tents as they surveyed the two bodies before them. One, the Third Kazekage whose disappearance had been the catalyst for the war, was in pieces. Minato had smashed the human puppet easily with his new technique.

For a moment the men looked at each other, wanting to laugh at the bitter irony.

Feeling exhausted, Minato ran a hand down his face. Dust and sweat coated his tanned skin, and a strange organic purple substance had spattered onto his flak jacket.

Then his gaze switched to the dead teenage boy at his feet. From a glance it appeared that he was a puppet from the connecting joints to the cable in his stomach, but Minato knew better.

When he had engaged the boy in battle Minato knew. The boy's eyes had been too real, too full of deadened emotion. His hair that was a closer shade to blood than Kushina's was too full of texture to be imitated. The organic canister in his chest was proof that the boy had been human.

For weeks there were reports that something strange was going on in one of the caves in River Country. An Inuzuka had sniffed out the scent of blood whilst on patrol but they never returned when sent to investigate.

Minato had decided to send out a small squad with Inoichi as captain but only bad news had returned. Apparently a mysterious ninja had been residing in the caves, but when Inoichi had tried to apprehend them he'd been poisoned and the ninja had escaped. After that Minato had decided to find the ninja himself to prevent any more casualties.

After avoiding countless of senbon and smashing the boy's outer puppet shell with his new technique, the fight had been seamless for Minato. With one clean sweep he'd spread his special kunai across the field and in seconds it had all been over for the boy when Minato had hammered a kunai into his canister.

_No one,_ Minato thought as he stared at the boy's glassy eyes. _No matter how stained it is… No one can erase their soul._

"We have intel on who the boy was," Shikaku broke the silence. "He's Sasori of the Red Sand – Grandson of one of Suna's elders, Chiyo. You remember hearing about her in the Second War?"

Minato's face darkened slightly and he nodded. Choza, Shikaku and he had grown up during and fought in the Second War. They had heard all the tales about Suna's deadly poisons and their legendary puppeteer brigade.

"How old do you think he was?" Choza said. "He can't have been more than fifteen when he… Modified himself."

"Probably around seventeen or eighteen at a guess," Shikaku frowned.

Briefly Minato couldn't help but think of Team 7. How old were they now? Both Kakashi and Obito must be thirteen by now. His brow creased as he thought about Kakashi. The last time he had heard from him was back in January… But before Minato could worry any further his thoughts were interrupted.

"Commander!" Young, fifteen-year-old Namiashi Raido burst into the tent. "The retrieval squad has finished collecting the remnants of the other puppets."

"Good," Minato said. "For now I want things entirely confidential, understand?"

Raido nodded and added, "Rin managed to stabilise Inoichi-san but… The poison contained bacteria… She wasn't able to save his leg."

Next to Minato, Choza drew in a sharp intake of breath.

"Amputation?" Shikaku asked, his face pale.

"Yeah…" Raido said, staring at the floor. "Rin and Aoba are part of the team accompanying him back home for further treatment."

"Good job," Minato said softly and he offered Raido an encouraging smile. "You've done well today… I suggest that you have the rest of the evening off."

"Thank you, sir," Raido gave Minato a small smile and exited the tent.

Minato turned and gripped his friends' shoulders briefly. He knew that the Ino-Shika-Cho trio were more than just a team. They were brothers. When Minato had been younger he envied the camaraderie in their team. Though Minato had a mysterious charm that allowed him to get on with most people, his old genin team had never kept in touch after they'd been promoted to chunin.

So Minato had high hopes for Team 7. He wanted them to have a similar relationship to the one Shikaku shared with his old teammates. Stability was what you needed as a ninja. Some chose the comfort of alcohol or gambling. Other developed nervous habits such as smoking. Minato firmly believed that friendship was the healthiest way to forget a tough mission.

"Inoichi's tough," Minato reassured them. "Despite how much he moans. He'll be fine. The medics back home can do wonders… They'll find a way, so hang in there."

Both Choza and Shikaku gave him an appreciative nod.

"What's next then, Minato?" Shikaku asked him.

Minato glanced back down at the Third Kazekage and sighed. Most ninja would bring the bodies back to their village so any secrets could be unravelled. However… He gazed at Sasori's canister.

"We'll return the bodies to Suna," Minato decided. "Shikaku, send word home for the conditions of a peace treaty."

"How are we going to even approach Suna?" Choza asked.

Minato held Choza under a long, unwavering gaze. It was the same look that could make troops follow him unquestioningly into battle. When Minato held that determination in his eyes it inspired those around him. At that moment both Choza and Shikaku knew they were looking at the man who would be the Fourth Hokage.

"Suna are already losing this war," Shikaku pointed out. "We've beaten them back out of the River Country and destroyed three outposts in Land of the Wind. They lost control of their jinchuriki last year so they no longer hold their ace. If we work together we'll be able to approach them."

Minato who had turned and had lifted up the flap to leave the tent, stopped for a moment. He glanced back over his shoulder and the air was suddenly filled with his warm, sunny smile. Minato grinned at Shikaku and Choza, "It's time to end this war."

* * *

><p>25th November 772<p>

Over in an outpost that was far gloomier than the one that the Yellow Flash was leading, Kakashi stood in a corner of the tent used for strategy meetings.

Months had flown past the White Fang's son. Summer was washed away by autumn and now the ninja could feel the breath of winter upon them. Orochimaru hadn't spoken to him since the incident at the lab but Kakashi had most certainly not forgotten. If anything with the forced silence and the passing of time, the resolve to bring justice burned brighter within Kakashi each day.

He _would_ find a way. Even if it meant playing along with the Sannin for now or waiting till the end of the war. Kakashi was determined to avoid whatever Orochimaru had planned for him and reveal to everyone who the Sannin really was.

"In the past months our position hasn't changed against Iwa," Orochimaru spoke to the people gathered in the tent. "So what I am aiming for is to attempt the same operation that Gekko Miyako's team took in June."

Hushed whispers travelled around the tent. That mission? The one to poison the Iwa outpost? True it may be key to turning the tide… But after the failure last time… No one would want to undertake it.

"As you can see," Orochimaru pointed a long, pale finger at the Iwa outpost on the map spread across a table. "This is Iwa's biggest outpost in Waterfall Country. It's located in one of the main valleys, which everyone has to pass through to reach either the Land of Earth or Grass Country. They've been using it as a central rendezvous for forces."

"If we cripple that outpost then we would most certainly stand a chance pushing Iwa back, it would also give our comrades in Grass Country a helping hand," Someone admitted.

Orochimaru nodded, "Exactly. What I plan to do this time is form three teams. The first is the diversion team, who will provide an opening for the second team to infiltrate and poison the water supply. The following night once diversion and infiltration have met with the third team they'll attack the outpost from three different points."

"So not a simple infiltration this time?" Another jonin nodded. "Good plan, Orochimaru-sama."

"I've already drawn up the listed teams," Orochimaru said. "Yuhi, you'll be captain of the diversionary team."

Captain Yuhi, who Kakashi guessed was Kurenai's father, nodded. Orochimaru read out the six other ninja who'd be part of the diversionary team, among them was Gai and Tamotsu.

It was then decided that Orochimaru himself would lead the third, main offensive team that was comprised of sixteen altogether.

_Does he have some ulterior motive? _Kakashi thought with narrowed eyes. _It's unlike Orochimaru to get so involved with a mission… After all he is _benefiting _from this war._

"The infiltration time will only comprise of four ninja this time," Orochimaru said. "The aim is that the team will not have to participate in any combat. Your job is sabotage so stealth is of the utmost importance."

Kakashi had a sinking feeling as Orochimaru yellow eyes fixed on him.

"Uchiha Kotone will be captain," the Sannin announced. "With Abe Kenji as second in command."

Abe Kenji… Uchiha Kotone… Those names sounded familiar to Kakashi. He glanced at them and it was then cold, icy recognition struck. Both of those jonin had been on _the_ mission. The last mission his father had ever taken. They were the scum that had abandoned Sakumo.

Kakashi stared at Uchiha Kotone who appeared to be your standard Uchiha. The middle-aged woman had the same dark hair, the same dark eyes as Obito. However her haughty expression was anything but what his teammate would wear.

"The people backing them will be Hatake Kakashi and Mitarashi Anko," Orochimaru said.

People frowned and began to whisper at such young ninja undertaking the most important part of the operation but a single look from the Sannin caused them to fall silent. "Kenji and Kotone, will be expected to undertake the main part of the infiltration," Orochimaru said. "However as my apprentice is well versed in preparing the poison she will need to be there when they administer it. Hatake Kakashi's tracking skills will also be needed when finding a route through the underground caves to the water supply."

With that the meeting was over, while the captains stayed behind for further details, the ninja trooped out of the tent.

* * *

><p>What Kakashi hated the most about winter was not the cold. No, it was the silence. Snowfall seemed to steal away the constant buzz and hum of nature. The once lush forest that used to provide cover suddenly screamed vulnerability and naked, stark trees left them exposed to attack. Throughout their journey Kakashi had barely breathed. It didn't matter that they were dressed in Iwa uniform. If anything it made Kakashi feel even worse since the smell of death permeated the ochre flak jackets.<p>

A black bandana with the Iwa forehead protector sewed in covered Kakashi's hair, so he resembled more of a bandit than a ninja. At least Iwa nins now wouldn't run at him screaming, "Konoha White Fang!"

As they slipped into a low tunnel by a cliff face, it was a relief to be out of the icy air. The team had barely spoken to each, too preoccupied by the importance of the mission. Kakashi was all too glad. He didn't think he would have been able to stomach conversation with his father's old teammates.

Miyako's team had never made it to the underground network of caves, but their spies had informed them that Iwa's water supply was an underground lake beneath the outpost.

After several miles of working their way through dark twisting and winding tunnels, Uchiha Kotone who'd been leading the way with her sharingan suddenly halted. "Someone's been here," she whispered crouching down.

The rest of the team who'd been using Abe Kenji's tiny blue chakra light to see stopped. Kakashi stooped down next to her and squinted at what she was looking at.

"Few days old," Kakashi murmured, as he analysed the footprint. The damp shelter of the tunnels were perfect for preserving tracks and their progress had been slow to ensure that they wouldn't be followed.

From the size and the depth of the footprint Kakashi guessed it had been a woman or someone around his age. Generally the deeper and larger the imprint was usually from the man. This footprint however was far too light. If they had left a footprint the ninja was most likely inexperienced or careless.

"Probably on patrol," Kenji muttered. "Stay alert. We're almost there."

Nodding, they continued their way. Finally, after a tense hour, they finally began to sense the lake.

"Heavily guarded," Kotone said, as she sensed the different chakra presences. "Roughly five at the top to the outpost and at the bottom there a person per entrance. Probably distracted by the diversionary team."

"About eight in total then," Kenji nodded. "Mitarashi do you have the poison?"

"Yep," Anko said. "There are two dissolvable balls, Sensei told me that you just have to throw them in the lake at opposite ends for maximum effect."

She handed the two, palm sized balls to Kotone and Kenji. "The coating will instantly dissolve when it hits the water so they're safe to touch," Anko told them. "The powder will then disperse."

"Good," Kenji nodded. "Let's go."

As previously discussed before they had set out, the team split up. Kotone and Anko set off for the tunnel leading to the lake in the east, and Kenji and Kakashi headed to the western tunnel. Both Kakashi and Anko were to act as backup.

Finally, they reached the tunnel. Obeying orders, Kakashi lurked in the shadows. He watched as Kenji slowly stalked the Iwa nin who was standing guard at the entrance.

It was all too easy. Kenji crept up behind the guard and in one swift movement he broke the man's neck. Kakashi slipped forwards, helping Kenji stash the body away behind some rocks.

"Kotone's already done it," Kenji muttered. Kakashi glanced over, far across the lake he could make out Anko and Kotone's retreating backs.

Kenji moved forwards, pretending to be the Iwa guard. He stretched and as he allowed his arms to fall, his flicked the poison capsule into the lake.

"Hey pay attention!" Someone suddenly shouted.

Kakashi's muscles tensed and he gripped the hilt of the White Fang.

"Aha sorry!" Kenji laughed sheepishly to the man who was standing on the stone steps leading up the outpost. "You know how boring being on watch can be."

"New recruit?" The Iwa nin grunted at Kenji.

From his hiding place, Kakashi began to sweat. They had to leave before the Iwa nin changed watch.

"Yeah," Kenji nodded.

"Better pay attention or there'll be hell to pay from the Commander," the Iwa nin warned Kenji.

"Thanks!" Kenji said.

"The sooner this war is over the better," the other man grumbled as he began to trudge back up the steps. "Once we've beaten those Konoha bastards I can go home back to my wife."

As the sound of his footsteps faded away Kenji slipped back into the tunnel where Kakashi was hiding. It didn't take long for them to back their way back and meet up with Anko and Kotone.

Despite the fact that the whole operation was running smoothly, Kakashi didn't allow himself to get too complacent. Rightly so, because at that moment an explosion shook the tunnel.

"Shit," Kenji said, glancing over his shoulder.

They began to sprint down the tunnel. As they hurdled over a rock Kotone suddenly threw two shruiken at a wall. There was a gargle as an Iwa nin materialised and collapsed with a shruiken embedded in his eye.

"Patrol group must have found us," she said. "Hurry!"

Suddenly shouts echoed from behind them. Kakashi inwardly swore. The Iwa nin at the lake must have discovered the bodies. Enemy ninja were approaching them from both sides. They were trapped.

"Patrol group has less men," Kotone decided. Since she was team captain, they followed her order and kept running.

Soon they clashed with the Iwa patrol. The sheer panic of fighting in the darkness was terrifying. Kakashi was scared that he may accidentally kill a teammate. Thinking fast he pulled the White Fang out in a sweeping arc and channelled chakra into the blade. The metal glowed white, providing a small ghostly light.

Instantly an Iwa nin turned on him. Kakashi ducked as the Iwa nin aimed a blow to his face and his fist brushed across his head, tearing the bandanna away.

Suddenly the Iwa nin's eyes widened and he choked, "The White Fang? I thought he died."

Spinning on his heel, Kakashi stabbed the surprised ninja through the chest. "I'm not the White Fang," he said in a cold voice.

With a wrench he ripped the White Fang away and the Iwa nin slumped to the floor.

"I think that's the last of them," Kenji panted as they surveyed the three dead Iwa nin. Kakashi let his chakra fade away so the tunnel was lit only by Kenji's chakra light.

"We should keep moving," Kotone said, as her sharingan glowed in the dark.

Anko who was sporting a large gash across her forehead, blinked blood away from her eyes and nodded.

As Kotone and Kenji set off, Kakashi joined her side. "How're you feeling?" He asked. The cut looked pretty nasty in the dim light. Most likely it would need stitches.

"Fine," Anko sniffed and she wiped away a trail of blood. "Let's go."

Running through the caves at full speed was hairy. The rocks beneath their feet were slick with damp and Kakashi relied on hearing and smell rather than sight.

"Exit is to the left," He called.

The team veered down the tunnel and a blast of cold air hit their faces. Night beckoned them and Kakashi could almost taste mission success. That was until a voice shouted, "Earth style: Rock breaker!"

A stone hit Kakashi on the head and he glanced up. His eyes widened with horror as cracks threaded their way across the tunnel ceiling. Rocks rained down on them as the cave began collapse.

"Go!" Kenji yelled as Kakashi dived out of the way of falling boulder. "I'll keep them busy!" Kenji began to form some seals.

"Let's go!" Kotone growled.

A splatter of mud hit Kakashi's face, temporarily blinding him. Wait… Mud? Before Kakashi could work out of was happening, someone grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the cave.

Spluttering, Kakashi wiped away the dirt from his eyes. Fresh winter air stung his watering eyes and he stumbled through the snow, disorientated. For about five minutes or so he was pulled along until they stopped in the cover of a snowdrift.

Kakashi's face heated up when he realised it had been Anko who had dragged him along. "Thanks," he nodded.

"Don't mention it," Anko rolled her eyes. She made a big show of letting go of his hand and wiping her own on her pants.

"Attention!" Kotone snapped.

"Sorry Captain," Anko said.

"Where's Kenji?" Kakashi asked, glancing around.

"Taking care of the Iwa scum," Kotone answered. She then bit her thumb and formed some seals. "Summoning technique!"

A mangy looking cat appeared before them. Immediately it sniffed Kakashi and hissed. "Enough," Kotone said. "Inform the Commander that we've completed infiltration and that we're heading to the meet point."

The cat nodded and streaked off into the darkness. "Anko," Kotone turned to her. "I've had instructions from the Commander to send you back to base. You're too young to participate in the next part of the operation."  
>"I'm only two years younger than Kakashi!" Anko protested, her face heating up despite the cold.<p>

"Order are orders," Kotone said, giving the girl the full force of the traditional Uchiha glare. Anko opened her mouth and began to mutter darkly under her breath.

_Obito really needs to learn that, _Kakashi thought. _People might actually take him seriously if he used it._

"Here," Kakashi said. He nicked his thumb on a shruiken from his weapons pouch. Then after forming some seals he hit his hand onto the snow muttering, "Summoning technique."

Pakkun appeared accompanied by the usual smoke. "Yo, Kakashi," he said.

"Guide Anko back to the outpost," Kakashi said. "It'll be hard to otherwise in the dark." In reality he just wanted his teammate to get back safely and Pakkun would be able to sniff out any enemies in time for them to hide. Not that he would ever admit that to Anko. She would probably take it as an insult to her abilities as a kunoichi.

"Will do," Pakkun said, he leapt away through the snow.

Anko straightened and she scowled to Kakashi, "Stay alive and try not to do anything stupid." She then raced after Pakkun.

Kotone stood and began to walk when Kakashi suddenly said, "Don't we need to wait for Kenji?"

His teammate captain ignored him and kept walking. Kakashi leapt up and jogged over to join her side. "Captain Uchiha?" He said.

"Our orders are to meet up with the Commander," Kotone said briskly. "We need all the forces we can to attack the outpost."

"But we can't just leave him," Kakashi persisted.

"What Abe did was admirable, perhaps he was too influenced by his idol," Kotone sneered. "At any rate for all we know he could be dead or captured. If it's the latter then we've all be instructed by the commander to eat a poison capsule. If it's the former then we need not worry because Abe has no bloodline limits."

Kakashi stared at his captain in disgust. He didn't care that Kenji was one of the scum who'd abandoned his father. All of the grudges and bitter feelings had vanished. He couldn't let it happen to anyone because Kakashi had vowed that he would never stoop to their level. For once he took an Obito-like attitude to the rules.

"You don't care if he's dead?" He said. Kakashi voice had turned as icy as the snow that smothered the ground.

"Ninja are not designed to care," Kotone said. "Understand that well, Hatake."

Kakashi suddenly stopped and his hands balled into fists. "Ninja are not designed to care?" He repeated softly. Kotone halted and glanced back at him, raising an eyebrow.

Kakashi's mind was racing. He recalled all the times he'd struggled to suppress his emotions, the constant battle between honouring his father's name and following the rules. As a child he'd been surrounded by so many conflicting ideals; Minato-sensei's teachings, the Will of Fire, the ninja code and the dogged belief that his father had been betrayed by his teammates. Kakashi never knew which one to follow. No wonder he had been so confused by Obito. His teammate saw everything so simply. Good and bad. Black and white. Kakashi… All Kakashi could see was shades of grey.

But as Kotone's words echoed around his mind, everything began to crystallise as clear as the icicles hanging from the branches above their heads. Suddenly... Kakashi began to see the world not in varying types of grey or black and white... No instead it adjusted so he saw things in a myriad of colour.

With his face set, Kakashi turned around and began to head back to the caves.

"Hatake!" Kotone snapped. She strode after him and roughly grabbed his shoulder.

Kakashi slapped her hand away and his captain snarled, "This is insubordination. I'll report this to the commander."

"Go for it," Kakashi said. "It's not like I could be in any worse position anyway."

He strode away from her and in one last attempt to stop him Kotone called, "Sakumo-san would be ashamed."

Kakashi suddenly halted and his eyes froze over. Glancing back at her glaring face he said, "You have no right to speak to speak my father's name."

Leaving her stunned, he continued to trudge through the snow to save Kenji. _Sensei, Kushina… Obito, Rin, _Kakashi thought. _I hope you're proud of me._

He knew that he would be in a dangerous position once Orochimaru got wind of his insubordination. No doubt the Sannin would use this somehow to screw with Kakashi even more. In any case, Kakashi pushed the worry from his mind. Right now he needed to concentrate on saving Kenji.

* * *

><p>It was fairly easy saving the jonin. Using his new technique that he had dubbed 'chidori' Kakashi had killed an Iwa nin to find Kenji trapped in thick mud. The jonin was stuck in his own technique after he'd transformed the boulders into mud. After he had pulled out the mildly embarrassed jonin they sprinted off to join the forces.<p>

The rest of the operation had run on smoothly as planned. Perhaps too smoothly. In fact, that night was one that would embed a strong hatred towards Konoha within Iwagakure. The Konoha ninja who'd taken part would never forget that night either. The screams of agony from Orochimaru's poison would be engrained into their very souls and the sheer quantity of blood and vomit from the sick Iwa nins had caused some ninja to almost faint. However… After that night the Iwa survivors began to spread terrifying tales about a boy with silver hair caked in blood and his white chakra sabre slicing through limbs. Rumours that the White Fang had been reincarnated in demon form would soon spread.

The fighting had carried on throughout the morning and it was only in the evening the Konoha platoon had arrived back at their outpost, victorious. Cheers and noise of the ninja revelling as they celebrated their victory, to take their minds off the gruesome events, echoed throughout the outpost. However one ninja was not taking part in the partying.

"Where are you injured?" Tsume asked Kakashi as he sat on the examination table in the medic's tent.

Kakashi didn't answer. He just sat and picked at the dried blood beneath his fingernails. He had scrubbed so hard but it somehow he couldn't manage to wash all of it off.

"He's been like that since he got back," Anko whispered to Tsume and her face was taut with worry. In her hands she was clutching the blood drenched White Fang that she had to prise off Kakashi earlier.

Kakashi wanted to ask Anko why she was so worried. After all he did what she had told him. Stay alive and don't do anything stupid. But the words somehow were caught in his throat.

"All newbies are like this after Orochimaru's directly involved with an operation," Tsume grounded her teeth. "This sounded like his worse one yet."

"Gai was pretty quiet which was a bit scary… But nothing like this," Anko interjected. "And you heard about his actions earlier…"

_Worse one yet?_ Kakashi thought as he caught onto Tsume's words. Screams from the poisoned Iwa nin echoed through his mind. He could still smell the blood that ran through the streets of the outpost. He could still see their faces… So like the ones that Orochimaru had hidden in his lab.

Orochimaru... Kakashi continued to pick at the dried blood. The Sannin had said he'd leave Iwa to collect their dead but would he really? Or would he just steal the bodies?

Slowly, Tsume approached him. She whispered, "Bicarbonate of soda usually does the trick."

Kakashi suddenly jerked and looked at her softened eyes. "Thanks," He nodded.

"Now let me see your wounds," Tsume said softly.

Tsume's tone painfully reminded Kakashi of Kushina. For a moment he screwed his eyes shut in the attempt to blot out any childish longing for her.

The camp medic gently lifted up his fringe and surveyed the cut across his forehead. "Lost your forehead protector huh?" She said. "Don't worry there are spares in the supply building. Anyway, this is shallow so it won't need stitches."

"Couple of broken ribs," Kakashi muttered as he remembered being thrown through a wall by a huge hulking Iwa nin. He'd have to thank Kurenai's father later for saving his life.

"I'll leave…" Anko said slowly. "Kakashi, Orochimaru-sama wants to see you after."

Kakashi suddenly flinched at the sound of the Sannin's name and Tsume frowned. "Don't you think he could wait until tomorrow?" She asked Anko.

"He wants to see how you are," Anko said as she stared at Kakashi. "He's probably just worried."

Kakashi snorted and immediately regretted it as his body protested with pain.

Anko gave Kakashi a searching look as her eyes seemed to burn into his. Then she turned around and stormed out of the tent.

"She has the best intentions you know, no matter how hard she tries to hide it," Tsume said as she helped Kakashi lift off his shirt. "You should be grateful." She gestured at the red scarf that Anko had left by the side. She must have gone into the tent he was bunking in to retrieve it.

Tsume patched him up in silence and when he was released from the tent Anko was nowhere to be seen. As he walked towards Orochimaru's tent his shoulders were slumped and his hands shoved into his pockets. Kakashi had a feeling that this meeting with the Sannin would be his last.

Kushina's scarf, which fell down to his knees, provided a comforting warmth and somehow encouraged him to keep going.

After announcing his arrival and being invited inside, Kakashi ducked under the flap. As usual Orochimaru sat at his desk with smirk and gestured for Kakashi to sit down in the chair opposite him.

Kakashi reversed the chair and sat. The fight within him hadn't completely died just yet.

"Anko has informed me that you've been acting strangely these past months… Ever since you were poisoned she said," Orochimaru informed him.

"Really?" Kakashi leant his arm on the back of the chair. He began to wish that Anko would just leave him alone.

"Indeed," Orochimaru watched him with his yellow eyes. "Apparently you've been avoiding her and your other friend… Maito Gai I believe. You've been training harder than usual and you haven't even written to your sensei."

Orochimaru's smirk widened as he said the last part. "Then Captain Uchiha informed me about your insubordination," he continued. "You do understand that I will have to punish you."

"Saving a teammate's life is insubordination?" Kakashi laughed hollowly.

"No," the Sannin corrected him. "Disobeying orders is. Your mission was to follow Uchiha Kotone's orders, to infiltrate and poison the water supply then leave undetected. You failed because you didn't follow Captain Uchiha's order."

"Such a tragedy," Orochimaru sighed. "Looks like you'll miss out on promotion this time round because of this, Kakashi-kun. I'll be sure to inform the Hokage."

That stung but Kakashi narrowed his eyes. He wondered what Orochimaru would say in the letter. After all the Third would probably look more kindly upon someone disobeying orders to save a teammate's life. The Sannin would probably hideously distort the story.

"Genetics is a strange thing," Orochimaru said softly, completely catching Kakashi off guard. He frowned waiting for the Sannin to continue.

"Take Namikaze Minato, your sensei, as an example," Orochimaru said. "A genius, the likes of which Konoha had never seen before. Yet… He has no bloodline limit, is an orphan and his parents were merely civilians. He is a genetic anomaly."

"You sit in the exactly the same manner Sakumo used to sit," Orochimaru studied Kakashi. "However… Perhaps you are _too_ much like him."

In a flash Orochimaru reached over and grabbed Kakashi's wrist. Kakashi struggled but he was too exhausted to pull away.

The Sannin wrenched up Kakashi's sleeve. Producing a needle from seemingly out of nowhere Orochimaru pricked his forearm.

As the Sannin released him, Kakashi watched with dull horror was the blood blossomed and formed a small curled up snake. The crimson image then faded until it was black.

"You may leave," Orochimaru said and he held up the bloody needle to the light. "You'll also be taken off duty for now... Until I find a mission for you..."

Kakashi stumbled off his chair and ran out of the tent. He yanked down his sleeve as he staggered away, trying to distance himself from Orochimaru as much as possible. It had begun to snow again. This time the flakes calmed Kakashi as they caressed his exposed skin. The snow was gentle as if it understood his position.

Kakashi headed over to the training compound and hid in the shadows, leaning against the palisade wall. Slowly, he began to slide down the wood until he was sitting in the snow. Icy cold began to seep through his ninja pants but at that moment Kakashi turned numb. He drew his knees up and rested his chin.

It was probably a seal… But whatever Orochimaru had done, Kakashi doubted he would live to see the New Year. He stared up at the sky allowing the snowflakes to settle on his face. What were his options? Desert? That was unthinkable. He couldn't leave Gai or Anko and deserting would make him a missing-nin. That was the coward's way out. Anyway, he would be betraying Konoha.

He could try and kill Orochimaru but deep down Kakashi knew that he was still too young take the Sannin in a fight. If some miracle did happen and his did murder his camp commander, Kakashi would most likely be sent home for execution.

Kakashi's brow creased into a frown and he nuzzled his face into the scarf.

"You'll catch hypothermia you know," a gruff voice said.

Kakashi glanced up to see Kurenai's father standing above him. "I'll be fine," Kakashi said, knowing hypothermia was the least of his worries. "Thanks for saving me by the way."

Captain Yuhi frowned he walked over and crouched down next to Kakashi. "You," he sighed. "Are exactly like your mother."

Kakashi jerked. Countless of time he'd been compared to Sakumo but never his mother. Kakashi's mother was shrouded in mystery.

"You knew her?" Kakashi asked, his eyes widening with surprise.

"You could say that," Captain Yuhi gave him a sideways look. "Sakumo never talked about her?"

Kakashi shook his head. He'd learnt at an early age never to ask his father about her, even then he could see how much it pained him.

Yuhi snorted, "Always took the blame Sakumo, always had to be bloody _noble_."

"What do you mean?" Kakashi said, more curious than anything. "Why am I like her?"

"You look like her," Yuhi said and his eyes glazed over his sadness. "Though you've got Sakumo's hair. I was always telling him to cut it. When he had it tied back like that it made him look like Jiraiya's older brother."

Kakashi couldn't help but smile a little at the comment. "How did you know them?" He asked.

Captain Yuhi didn't seem to hear his question however. He stood up and said softly, "Same personality… But you take everything upon yourself like your father… Stupid thing to do… Do that and it'll be the death of you."

Kurenai's father left Kakashi and he listened to the soft crunching of his footsteps fade away.

"Be the death of me… Huh?" Kakashi whispered. Then a pure and beautiful idea hit him. How could he have been so stupid? Some prodigy he was.

Lifting himself up so he was in a crouch, Kakashi cut his thumb on a kunai. Then after forming the necessary seal he slammed his palm onto the snow and said, "Summoning technique."

"Hey Kakashi," Pakkun said and he raised a questioning ear but there was concern in the dog's eyes. "What's up?"

Ninken were, without question, the most loyal summons. Your pack would stay with you through everything. They were there for your entire life. As Kakashi's first ever summon, Pakkun would most certainly believe anything he said.

In an exhausted but quietly hopeful voice, Kakashi began to tell Pakkun everything.

* * *

><p>19th December<p>

As an isolated, militarised nation, Kumo tried it's best to stay out of major conflict. After all they had nothing to do with the disappearance with the Third Kazekage. But then those Iwa and Konoha dogs were still squabbling over in Waterfall and Grass Country. So of course the Third Raikage who was ever the opportunist, sent out espionage teams to steal any village secrets they could find while the other villages were fighting. Of course if you killed a couple of Konoha and Iwa ninja on the way that was an added bonus.

Still, Darui couldn't help but think it was an awful lot of effort to cross over three countries to bother one of Konoha's outposts in the Waterfall Country. It had taken three weeks to get here as a slow pace was always required on reconnaissance missions. Three weeks of trudging through bogs, camping out in snowstorms and walking over mountain ranges. Not that Darui found that particularly hard… It was just a lot of effort.

Slowly, bit-by-bit Kumo had been dragged into the war. Maybe because Konoha was too close for comfort with their outposts on the border of the Frost Country. There had been countless of skirmishes against them. Or maybe it was because Konoha was getting _too_ strong. Seeing as they had won the war against Suna and were now pushing Iwa back. Or maybe it was because the Raikage just liked to take pot shots at Konoha. Darui had a feeling it was probably the latter.

In any case their mission was to sneak into Waterfall Country and gather as much intel as possible to assess Konoha's strength. The team was a small one with the Raikage's son, A, leading Darui and C.

C, who had been leading the way, suddenly stopped.

"What is it?" A asked.

C frowned, appearing slightly confused. "I could have sworn… That I just sensed someone," he said. "Couple of yards to our right."

A immediately bounded over the rocks of the mountainous terrain they'd been crossing and jumped down into a small clearing. Then, without warning, he slammed a fist into the ground. A's sheer strength caused the earth to crack and buckle with dust exploding around him

"That… Was a bit extreme Boss," Darui laughed weakly as they jumped over the rocks to join him.

"Replacement!" A shouted, kicking splinters of a log. "The brat is hiding from us!"

With a spin of a heel, A suddenly turned and hurled a fist at another rock. Dirt and shrapnel showered down on Darui and C… Then they saw a streak shoot out.

Darui and C separated in opposite directions to cut the ninja off. They couldn't let their presence be known by Konoha or Iwa.

A, however, with his inhuman speed got there first. With a resounding crash that shook the earth, he leapt in front the fleeing ninja. C came second cutting off any escape to the left and Darui approached at the right.

The ninja was cornered, with his back against a cliff face.

For a moment Darui was slightly surprised by how young the ninja was, about seven or six years younger than him, probably thirteen or twelve at the most. It was hard to tell when the kid was wearing a mask. The green flak jacket and the forehead protector marked his affiliation to Konoha.

"Hey kid you remind me of someone," A squinted at the boy's silver hair. "What's your name?"

"What are Kumo doing here?" The boy turned the question around in typical ninja fashion, showing that despite his age he was no amateur.

"I don't think you're in the position to ask questions, kid," Darui snorted.

C who'd been frowning at the boy suddenly said, "A-sama, this boy isn't-"

Suddenly his words were cut away by a sudden explosion behind them. The blast did little damage but the boy had disappeared with a small puff of smoke.

"Shadow clone," A snarled, despite the fact he appeared that he was mildly enjoying this. That was probably why he was just toying with him for the moment. "Brat isn't half bad."

"Darui!" C suddenly shouted. "Beneath you!"

Darui leapt back just as two hands shot from beneath the dirt. In a flash the young ninja burst out from the ground and jumped onto the cliff face, sprinting upwards.

Running towards the sky was a disorientating feeling, but since they had grown up doing training exercises on cliff faces in Kumo this was nothing to the team. With A in the lead they chased after the boy, easily dodging the shruiken he was hurling behind him.

Suddenly the boy veered to the left and dove onto a ledge. Darui heard him yell, "Earth style: Mud wall!"

A few metres away, rock suddenly rocketed upwards in a stone wall but with one swift punch A demolished it.

_This is going to be over soon, _Darui thought. _Boss is getting impatient._

Then Darui heard the high-pitched scream of electricity. Raising an eyebrow he saw the Konoha boy leap out from the debris, tearing at A so fast that the cliff face rock exploded behind him.

The sheer chakra emanating from the boy's attack was impressive but his speed was nothing compared to A's. Channelling lightning chakra into his limbs A easily grabbed the boy's hand, instantly countering his attack. From a few metres away Darui heard the snap of bones as A crushed the boy's fingers. Then with a lazy sweep, he swung the boy off the cliff.

"Ah I think you killed him," Darui observed lazily, as the boy was sent down into the rocky clearing below.

"Let's find out," A shrugged and they jumped off the cliff face, to look at the smoking crater where the boy had landed.

"He's alive," C said squinting against the dust. "I can still feel some of his chakra."

They skidded down into the small crater, squinting against the dust. Darui felt a small twinge of sympathy as he watched the boy struggle to stand. The Konoha nin suddenly coughed and his mask was so soaked with blood that the crimson liquid dripped onto the ground.

It was unusual for Konoha to be sending out a scout of such a young age. After all, the village had a reputation for being soft on its children. Then again… Being soft was better than what the Bloody Mist did to their kids. Everyone had heard the stories of the child soldiers Kiri had used during the Second War. Children young as four had been sent out into battle and the atrocities had been taken to a whole new level by their 'graduation test'. Darui suppressed a shudder. It was a good thing Kiri had isolated itself. No one wanted to fight against children.

The Konoha boy finally had managed to stand, his body shaking with exertion and Darui could see pain glazing his eyes.

"Now tell me your name, brat," A said. Clearly something about the boy's appearance was bothering him.

Yet again, through sheer bravery or perhaps idiocy, the boy ignored A's question. Instead he reached back and pulled out a small tanto. Darui's eyes narrowed as the white chakra blade shone in the winter light.

With a cry, the boy launched himself at A in a suicidal charge. A merely sidestepped the attack. The momentum carried the boy towards C who drew a kunai and parried the boy's tanto.

As the blades clashed, the sheer force caused the boy's tanto to splinter. The blade shattered, the white metal flying into the air. Darui frowned as the broken hilt slipped from the boy's fingers. It seemed all the fight within Konoha nin had died. The way he was staring at the broken blade… You would think he was staring at his still beating heart that had been ripped out of his chest, rather than a shattered tanto.

Reversing his kunai, C slammed the butt of it into the boy's head and he knocked the Konoha boy unconscious.

"Silver hair… White blade…" C frowned.

"Konoha's White Fang," A said finally, as they surrounded the unconscious boy. "He must be the White Fang's son. He looks exactly like him and that's his tanto."

"Should I kill him?" C offered, kneeling down and holding his kunai to the boy's throat.

A stared at the boy for a long time and he appeared to be deep in thought. He stooped down and picked up the hilt of the White Fang, slipping it into his flak jacket pocket.

"A-sama?" C repeated.

"We'll take him back to Kumo," A said and his two subordinates widened their eyes.

"What?" C raised an eyebrow as Darui scratched his head in a bemused fashion.

"There was a covert mission a few years ago to kidnap that boy," A grunted. "We might as well bring him back. C, make sure he's still breathing. Darui collect the pieces of the blade. I have a feeling my little brother will be interested in it."

Darui nodded and began to collect the scattered pieces of the tanto while C knelt down and began to heal the worst of the boy's injuries.

"Hey Boss," Darui said as he kneeled down. "What about the mission?"

"The White Fang's kid should have some valuable intel on Konoha's movements," A shrugged.

C finally managed to stabilise the White Fang's son with his healing chakra. After binding the boy's hand in bandages, C said, "I've managed to stop the internal bleeding. He's got a couple of broken ribs and he won't be making any seals for a while with that hand. When we get back to one of the outposts in Frost then I might be able to do more. What I'm more worried about is this." C gestured for Darui and A to come closer.

They crowded around the boy. C pulled up the boy's left sleeve to reveal a strange marking on the underneath of his forearm; a small, curled black snake.

"Some kind of seal?" A frowned.

"The chakra isn't malicious," C narrowed his eyes. Gently, he placed two fingers upon the seal and closed his eyes. With his expert chakra control, C examined the seal.

Darui watched with languid interest. The snake began to stir and it's eyes glowed yellow.

"Almost… Almost got it." C muttered. Beads of sweat began to form on his brow from concentration. The snake started to writhe and twist as if in pain.

"Got it!" C said triumphantly. There was a hiss of steam and the snake vanished from the boy's arm. Darui leapt back and his eyes widened. A perfect replica of the White Fang's son began to materialise of the ground before them.

"The seal was pretty simple," C explained, wiping his forehead as he straightened. "It had a timer so that if the boy died it would make a perfect genetic replication of his body; designed to trick anyone who would want his body. If we had found him a day or so later it woud've been too late. The seal would have activated and killed him."

"Aren't we the hero?" Darui said dryly.

"Good job," A said, slapping C on the back causing him to stumble forwards. "We'll leave the replica here then."

"Right," the other jonin gasped, rubbing his shoulder.

A then nodded at Darui. He sighed, picking up the boy and slinging him over his shoulder. Great. Something to carry across three countries, various bogs and mountain ranges. Darui sincerely hoped the boy would stay unconscious for the next three weeks because if he woke up even more effort may be required on his part.

The Kumo team trudged away with the White Fang's son in tow. However, little did they know that a small ninken who had seen everything from the top of the cliff face had scampered away to tell the boy's sensei.


	16. Chapter 15

**A/N:**

**Dates**

**December  
><strong>

**19th - Kakashi 'K.I.A'**

**23rd - Letters sent out informing his teammates, sensei and Kushina**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 15<strong>

22nd December 772

Since returning home to Konoha, Rin's life began to slowly return to normality. When she wasn't working at the hospital healing the wounded and helping with ninjas' rehabilitation, she was training with Kurenai or Aoba. In the evenings she'd sit for hours on end reading medical scrolls or working on different types of seals. There was the occasional punctuation in her routine when Kurenai would drag her out for shopping or a meal.

Rin walked down the hospital corridor, her short ponytail bobbing and the laminate flooring squeaked beneath her sandals. Some found the smell of disinfectant that permeated the building unpleasant but recently Rin found it calming. It was far better than the smell of blood or the warning odours of infection.

She turned and gently knocked on a door, then stepped inside a patient's room.

"Rin!" Inoichi smiled from his bed. "I knew today was going to be a good day, didn't I say so, eh Aoba?"

Aoba was slouched in a chair next to Inoichi's bed drawled; "She's far too young for you."

"Ignore my foolish apprentice," Inoichi said, waving a dismissive hand in Aoba's direction. "He knows nothing in the ways of women nor in the potential that young ladies such as yourself hold."

"You know that's how dirty old men get arrested?" Aoba muttered darkly. "Hitting on thirteen year old girls, honestly."

"Idiotic, fifteen year old boys lose out on apprenticeships with stupid comments like that," Inoichi nodded sagely, giving Aoba a warning look.

Rin smiled at Inoichi's harmless antics. She recalled Kushina saying that the Yamanaka will always be a teenage boy at heart. Yet after his amputation and his father's death, Inoichi had matured considerably. Deep lines creased his brow and his whole demeanour has turned into a calm one. So when the rare joke came out like this Rin was all too glad.

"How're you feeling Inoichi-san?" She asked.

"Good," Inoichi said. "I just want to be out of this damn bed now, no offence of course."

Rin chewed her lip and announced, "The technology department have made a break through."

Inoichi raised a hopeful eyebrow, "And?"

"We've managed to create an artificial leg with material that will be able to channel chakra," Rin told him. "You're lucky because your leg has only been amputated from below the knee. However… It will take lots of training and rehabilitation for you to be able to channel your chakra through the artificial limb and perhaps even years to regain the same dexterity you once had. But since your chakra control is already exceptional, as your clan techniques require it… I'd guess it would be about a year before you return to the same level."

"Then I guess I'll just have to work hard then," Inoichi said. "But thank you, Rin."

Rin laughed self-consciously and said, "Ah no, you'll have to thank the people in research. They did all the hard work! Anyway if I'd been a better medical ninja I may have…" She trailed away and her shoulders slumped. If only she had been able to find an antidote faster then Inoichi may still have his leg. It was all down to her ineptitude that this had happened.

"You do yourself an injustice," Inoichi said and suddenly his voice became much more serious. "Both your sensei, Minato, and your tutor, Kushina, are proud of having such a fine student. Have faith in your skills. There aren't many ninja who would have been able to even find an antidote."

"Thank you," Rin said softly, bowing her head again. "I have to go now… But I'll see you tomorrow."

She turned to the door but heard Aoba leap out of his chair; mutter something to Inoichi and then follow her out of the room.

"There's nothing more you could have done," Aoba told her.

"I guess…" She mumbled. "It's just…" Rin faltered and suddenly stopped walking. She turned her head and gazed out of the window running along the corridor. While out in the River Country with it's humid climate and raging thunderstorms, Rin had almost forgotten how beautiful Konoha was.

"Tsunade-sama could have done a better job," Rin whispered softly. Her time in the field had shattered the image of her idol. It wasn't in Rin's nature to hate someone but resentment had slowly built up against the woman she had used to admire. Tsunade was supposed to be one of the legendary Sannin. Famed for her strength, temper, beauty, terrible gambling skills and her alcohol addiction. But above all she was known for being the greatest medical ninja throughout the lands. So why wasn't she here? Helping her village and her people? Rin couldn't understand how someone could just abandon everything.

"But _you're_ here," Aoba reminded her and he gave Rin his lopsided smile. "She's not. That's what matters."

A small smile blossomed its way across Rin's face and her cheeks turned slightly pink. "T-thank you," she said, inwardly cursing herself for the stutter. The war had forced Rin to take charge as the camp medic and with vigilant training, not to mention Kushina's help; her confidence had rocketed over the three years. Yet occasionally her speech would slip slightly when she became flustered.

They resumed their journey began to walk down the many flights of stairs to the hospital reception so they could sign out.

"So when are your teammates coming home?" Rin asked filling in her hours and slipping her card back into its slot. With the war over in Suna, ninja had been returning in dribs and drabs. Most were given a fortnight off to recover and then were sent out to aid the war against Iwa. Others were still in the countries of River and Wind, like Minato-sensei. It would probably be a while before he came home.

"Most likely in the new year," Aoba shrugged. "Raido will be probably up for promotion when he gets back."

Hearing the envy in his voice she reminded him with a smile, "Ah but he hasn't been picked to be Inoichi-san's apprentice."

"Yeah, Inoichi says that in two years time I'll be a special jonin with a place in the intelligence unit," Aoba brightened, he gave Rin a sideways look but she had no idea what it meant. Sometimes it was impossible to tell what Aoba was thinking when he was constantly wearing sunglasses.

"It's a good thing the type of training you'll be doing won't require too much physical activity," Rin said, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

"I'm just glad he's alive," Aoba admitted. "Inoichi is a great guy… If you ignore all the weirdness that is."

Rin just smiled. She knew how happy Aoba had been when Inoichi had taken an interest in his skills since he was constantly trying to compete with his teammate Raido. Having lived with Obito and Kakashi's bizarre friendship she knew how hard rivalry could be.

As they strolled out of the hospital Rin suddenly spotted a girl with dark, curly hair running towards them through the deserted street.

"Rin!" Kurenai called and she stopped before them.

Rin's smiled faded away when she saw Kurenai's face. Her expression was twisted with awkward pain and her eyes conveyed volumes of sadness.

"What's wrong?" She asked her.

Kurenai chewed her lip and glanced at Aoba. Rin was beginning to worry now. She hated seeing people in pain, let alone her friend.

"What's happened?" She asked gently. "Is it your dad? Or your team?"

Kurenai shook her head, "No… This has nothing to do with them… I… As soon as I heard the news…"

Rin felt Aoba visibly tense beside her. A deep, dark sense of foreboding filled her stomach.

"I don't know how to say this," Kurenai said softly. "But… Kakashi's been killed in action."

* * *

><p>26th December 772<p>

"So," Genma said and he flicked up his senbon thoughtfully. "Hypothetically speaking-"

"Woah sure you can handle such a big word?" Asuma smirked as he cracked open a crate with a crowbar.

"Hypo-what?" Obito frowned, peering inside the crate Asuma had just opened.

The three boys were in the storehouse of the 3rd Grass outpost, checking through the latest supplies and ticking them off a list. It was a mind numbingly dull job but with the three of them the monthly task had turned into more of a social event more than anything. After all sitting inside a warm, dry building was better than being out of watch in the pouring rain or fighting Iwa nins.

"He means like 'in theory'," Asuma told Obito.

"Right," Obito chewed on his senbon. It was a habit Asuma and he had picked up off Genma. "Big words don't suit you, Genma."

"Shut up," Genma said and he lightly punched Obito on the shoulder. "At least I get them."

Obito laughed and took the teasing in his stride. Since Genma had joined them a year and a half ago any grudges they had against each other were soon forgotten about. Holding any resentment towards Genma about the bullying during academy had suddenly seemed very petty. Maybe it was because Genma had to go through losing both his mother and his sensei in one year. Though Obito could barely remember his mother he couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose Aunt Mikoto and the thought of Minato-sensei being killed in action was unthinkable.

It was the combination of Genma's now more humble nature and Obito's easy-going personality that the two had become friends. With Asuma thrown into the mixture the friendship between the three had provided certain stability for the boys to cope with the war.

That wasn't to say that Obito had forgotten about his teammates. He still thought and worried about Rin everyday. Obito kept wondering what she looked like now. Had she grown even prettier over the three years? Her skills as a kunoichi were probably amazing now; after all in her last letter she had mentioned that she had saved Yamanaka Inoichi.

He knew that she was back in Konoha for the moment, seeing as the war against Suna had ended. In a way he felt incredibly envious. Obito missed Konoha with its seemingly eternal sunshine and humid weather. The trees in Grass country were so thick they blotted out the sunlight, nothing like the dainty woods of Konoha.

Shisui was probably a lot taller now, how old was he? Eight? A fully-fledged genin, not to mention he possessed the sharingan. The clan was probably spoiling him rotten since he was latest prodigy. Itachi was no longer a baby either. He would be four years old now, probably entering academy if he hadn't already.

A small smile flicked across Obito's lips as Genma and Asuma continued their bantering.

"So anyway what are you 'hypothesising' about anyway?" Asuma asked as he began to rifle through the crate.

"Yeah well I was thinking," Genma nodded.

"Always a dangerous thing to do," Obito shot with a grin.

Genma chose to ignore Obito's comment and continued, "So say some crazy missing-nin placed a giant chakra bomb at the centre of Konoha."

"Right," Asuma nodded as he began count the kunai inside the crate.

"How'd the crazy missing-nin get past ANBU?" Obito asked.

"This is hypothetical, idiot," Genma rolled his eyes.

Obito shrugged. He had never particularly like these kind things. Sensei used to do logic games like this on rainy days occasionally. He said a ninja must be strong in the mind as well as the body or something like that. In any case, Kakashi and Rin found it far more interesting than Obito had.

"Anyway crazy missing-nin has slipped past the defences and has planted a giant chakra bomb slap bang in the middle of the village," Asuma prompted Genma.

"Yep, so he's managed to take down the Hokage, the Sannin and the Yellow Flash," Genma said.

"Must be some ninja," Obito snorted.

"But due to chakra exhaustion you've managed to capture him," Genma ignored him. "But he won't tell you where exactly the chakra bomb is and no one can find it either but you know it's somewhere in Konoha. You've done all the torturing you can… All you have now is his four year old daughter."

"So?" Obito frowned not really knowing where this was going.

Next to him Asuma groaned, "Don't tell me this is one of those sick things where to find out the bomb is you have to torture his daughter to get the information from him?"

"Yep," Genma said. "I mean what would you do? There's only five minutes before the bomb goes off. Do you torture a cute and innocent girl or do you let the bomb go off killing everyone in Konoha?"

Asuma shifted uncomfortably. Though the whole situation was extremely unlikely to ever happen, he knew what most ninja would do. They would do everything, even the unthinkable, to save their village.

Obito on other hand thought the answer was rather straightforward. "Five minutes?" He said, as he checked off the kunai on a clipboard. "Simple. I'd just find the bomb, save the village and the little girl. Easy."

"Err Obito I think you're kind of missing the point," Genma said in an amused voice.

"Let's make it simpler," Asuma said. "Massive monster attacks Konoha, takes out the Hokage, Sannin and Yellow Flash. It'll only go away once we sacrifice seven virgins."

"Why seven?" Obito asked, opening the next crate.

"Because monsters like to eat their virgins in numbers of seven?" Genma suggested with a snort.

"What would you do, Obito?" Asuma asked. "Give the monster the women or allow it to destroy the rest of Konoha?"

"Well that's obvious," Obito shrugged. He began to rummage through the crate as Genma counted the number of medi-packs inside. "I'd save the girls and kill the monster."

"Knew you wouldn't get it," Genma rolled his senbon around.

Obito shook his head. "No I do get it," he argued. "You're just over complicating things."

Genma and Asuma exchanged smiles. There was something amazing about Obito's sheer simplicity that inspired the other two boys. With Obito around the outpost, older ninja smiled and the place would be extremely gloomy without him. Not only that but his skills had drastically improved over the three years to the point that gleams of Uchiha brilliance were beginning to shine through.

The boys trooped out of the storehouse and Asuma who was clutching the checklists said, "I'll hand these to Hiashi-san."

"We'll see you in the mess tent," Genma nodded.

Obito and Genma headed over to the mess tent in silence. The outpost was located deep within one of the vast forests in Grass Country. Huge trees towered over them, with huge umbrella mushrooms casting the place in shadows. When Obito had first arrived here the strange calls from the native birds had unnerved him and the chattering animals were completely foreign. Now he didn't even flinch when a bird shrieked at night. The smell of leaves and moss permeated the camp. Winter was usually a chilly affair though snow only ever covered the huge grass plains and the bamboo forests. At the moment with the undergrowth was crushed by frost and the scent of decaying leaves filled the camp.

There was no point wearing his goggles when he was in the outpost and in a forest, so instead they simply hung around his neck. Instead of the usual Konoha navy, Obito had opted to wear the all black attire that his clan was associated with. Black ninja pants, mesh undershirt and a black jacket with the Uchiha crest embroidered on the sleeve. The jacket had a splash of orange on the piping however since he was still Obito after all and of course he wore the Konoha flak jacket over the top for protection.

Just as Genma and he passed the medical tent and soft voice said, "Uchiha Obito?"

Raising an eyebrow, Obito turned to see Aburame Shibi. The jonin was usually his captain during missions and despite the fact the man was silent most of the time, he treated his subordinates well. So Obito liked being on his team even though their personalities were pole opposites.

"Captain?" Obito nodded as Genma turned.

Silently, Shibi handed a small letter to Obito. "I'm sorry," the jonin told him and his soft tone told Obito everything.

His hand shaking slightly with dread Obito glanced down at the letter. Bile filled his mouth and his senbon slipped from his lips. Nice parchment, beautiful calligraphy and sealed by the Hokage. When a letter looked like this everyone knew what it meant. This was the one letter that no one wanted to receive.

"Shit," Genma breathed.

But Obito didn't hear him.

_Who?_ Was all he could think. _Rin? No… She's safe in Konoha. Shisui? Oh god please not Shisui… It can't be Shisui._

He ripped open the letter and read:

_Dear Uchiha Obito,_

_It is of my deepest regret to inform you that Hatake Kakashi has been declared K.I.A on the 19th December. I express the utmost sympathy for your loss, as he was a great asset to Konoha. You have paid leave to return home for the funeral._

_Yours Sincerely,_

_Ueda Sado, Hokage's Assistant_

"Huh?" Obito blinked. His mind refused to compute the words before him. He glanced up at Shibi and laughed, "This is some kind of joke right? I mean Kakashi can't be dead."

He glanced at Genma whose senbon had fallen from his mouth. His friend's face was full of pained understanding.

"I mean," Obito continued. "He's Kakashi. The White Fang's son, a complete arse but… He can't _die_. I mean…" He trailed off and stared at the words before him.

Shibi gently gripped Obito's shoulder and told him, "I've already told the Commander. You're free to leave with the next party tomorrow… I'm sorry..." He trudged away leaving Obito and Genma.

"If you need to talk, you know where Asuma and me will be," Genma told him softly. He then walked away, giving Obito space to realise what had just happened.

Obito continued to stare at the letter in numb disbelief. Kakashi… Killed in action? No way… That was impossible. He was the prodigy, the one who would be Konoha's next legend. How could someone like him die? How was it that his teammate had died and Obito, the dead last, was somehow still alive? Obito had always thought Kakashi would be most likely to survive to war.

"Damn it," Obito whispered and his hands shook with anger. "Damn it." He screwed up the letter and hurled it to the ground.

He turned and began to run through the outpost, streaking past groups of jonin until he was in a deserted clearing.

"Bastard!" Obito screamed up at the dark canopy above his head. "Damn it Kakashi! You're supposed to be the goddamn genius."

He spun on his heel and slammed a fist into a tree. The sheer force of his anger caused the bark to crack and alarmed birds flew out from the branches. Obito began to pummel the trunk. For what seemed like hours he took his fury out on the tree until his knuckles began to bleed and small pieces of wood littered his hair.

Hatake Kakashi, the first person to acknowledge him, the son of his hero, the person he'd been striving to beat, his teammate, rival but most of all friend. The two had hardly kept in contact but then Obito knew it wasn't in Kakashi's nature to stay in touch with people. Anyway neither really liked to admit that they were friends.

Suddenly the realisation sunk in. He would never see Kakashi again. Never get to argue, irritate or spar with him. As Obito grasped the sudden reality of it, pressure began to build up behind his eyes.

"You weren't supposed to die," Obito whispered, breathing hard and he rested his forehead against the bark. Even though he'd been working hard on having more control over his tear ducts a single tear rolled down his cheek. The pressure increased with each numb second and a strange red mist seemed to shroud his eyes.

"Obito?" A soft voice said.

Obito closed his eyes briefly. The he turned his head to see Genma who was chewing a senbon nervously.

When Genma's eyes met Obito's, his friend suddenly gasped and took a step back. "Obito," Genma said, dropping his second senbon. "Your eyes."

"Yeah I've got something in my eye I know," Obito sighed as he turned around. Then he suddenly stopped with a frown. His eyes dilated with realisation. His hands… He could_see_ his chakra. Obito glanced around and suddenly he was aware of every finite detail of his surroundings. Genma's actions had turned incredibly slow, his movements so predictable. Time dragged by and a strange crimson tinged beauty tainted the world.

"So this is the sharingan," Obito laughed hollowly, gazing around.

All this time of striving and training to activate his bloodline limit… Obito knew it took a strong amount emotional stress to awaken it but all this time he had put his life on line during the war...

_"Stop chasing a legend Obito… Become one."_

Kakashi's words had stay within his mind for three long years. Over that time Obito's dreams of becoming a legend like the White Fang and gaining the sharingan had evolved. No longer had he sought for his bloodline. Instead, Obito had focused on a wide array of fire techniques and techniques with the toads. His taijutsu was also extremely good and he knew a few illusion techniques too. Through the war and all the hard training, a new dream had emerged. Obito wanted to unite his clan with Konoha. He was sick of the isolation and the constant balancing between the two. It was impossible to fathom why Fugaku had rejected the summoning contract with the toads.

But as Obito stared around the forest with his new eyes he began to understand how pathetic the clan was. With the sharingan no doubt they'd accept him with open arms and the past would be forgotten. But did he really want that? Why couldn't they just accept him for who he was?

"Obito?" Genma said softly as the sharingan was washed away from Obito's eyes and his irises grew dark once more.

"I get it," Obito whispered as he stared at the bruises forming on his knuckles. "I get it now… But damn it, why'd it have to be this way Kakashi? You should be the one who becomes a legend. Not me… Ha, you already are a legend. After all we heard the rumours…"

Obito's fists tightened and tears leaked out of his eyes once more. The sheer exhaustion caused his knees to buckle and Obito slumped down onto the ground, leaning his back against the abused tree. Genma stepped forwards and sat down beside him. For minutes they sat together in silence.

"Still got something in your eye?" Genma asked and he pulled out two senbon from his flak jacket pocket.

"Yeah," Obito sniffed, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. He took a senbon from Genma and began to furiously chew it. It really was a good stress relief.

"Life really is shit sometimes, isn't it?" Genma sighed.

Obito laughed weakly as bitter irony filled his mouth. "Yeah," he said. "It really is."

* * *

><p>29th December<p>

_Today was one of the rare days where the White Fang was home after a mission. Kushina sat next to him on the porch of Hatake household. Sakumo had always hated hospitals, especially after his wife had died, so he had left via the window this morning._

"_So Sensei, have you decided on a tutor for Kakashi yet?" Kushina asked as they quietly sipped tea._

"_No," Sakumo scowled._

"_You better hurry up," Kushina scolded. "Kakashi's already a chunin. He can't keep attending academy."_

"_I know," Sakumo sighed. "I just don't want any idiot jonin teaching my son."_

"_Minato isn't… Well he's not _that_ much of an idiot," Kushina tapped her chin thoughtfully. "And he knows what it's like to grow up as a prodigy."_

"_That boy has decades of maturing to do," Sakumo said. "I want someone who can be a role model, someone Kakashi can admire. Especially is something happens to me… I want that person to be there for him if anything were to happen."_

_They sat in silence for a moment, watching Kakashi who was analysing some tracks on the ground. Suddenly the small six year old straightened and leapt over the compound wall._

"_I think he's going to beat his record," Sakumo chuckled._

_Since the White Fang was still recovering from his mission, he had set a tracking lesson for Kakashi. Several of his summons had been sent earlier to hide various trinkets around the village for the boy to find._

_It didn't take long for Kakashi to return. He sprinted back into the compound, clutching a red ribbon. "What my time?" He asked, eyes glowing with keen excitement._

_Kushina stopped the stopwatch she'd been clutching and read, "15:36."_

_Sakumo smiled, "Well done Kakashi. I'm proud of you."_

_Those words meant everything to the boy. It was rare to see Kakashi smile but as his eyes crinkled up into one, Kushina found herself growing warm from the small boy's happiness._

"_Don't worry sensei," Kushina said softly as Kakashi began to gather up the pile of items. "If you can't find a tutor… And if something does happen to you, I'll be there for Kakashi. I promise."_

Kushina stood in an empty house that was layered in three years worth of dust. She had cleared away everything before departing to fight in the war… But she could still smell Kakashi. Maybe that's why as soon as she had returned home and had debriefed with the Hokage, she went shopping to fill the house with the scent of cooking.

It hadn't worked though. If anything it had made it even worse. The clanging utensils sounded unnaturally loud causing her to jump with each clang. The scent of miso soup only caused her to feel sick and the tofu looked more like rubber than anything else. She chewed her lip as she poured the soup into two bowls… Wait… Two bowls?

Kushina stood there in dull shock. Why had she made miso soup for two? Her hands shook as the placed the pot onto the hob. She looked at her reflection in the oily liquid and her reflection stared back accusingly.

"I forgot…" She whispered in disbelief. "I thought… It felt like…"

Kushina bit her lip as she watched the pieces of tofu float around in the soup. Kakashi can't be gone. He just can't. She'd promised… She had promised Sakumo-sensei…

"Damn it," Kushina growled and she slammed a fist onto the counter-top causing the soup to slosh.

The thing was… It didn't _feel_ like he was dead. Any minute now Kushina expected Kakashi to walk through the door to eat dinner. So she decided to wait.

"He's not dead," Kushina muttered to herself, picking up the two bowls and carrying them to the table. "He's not dead, he's not dead." She repeated this chant over and over again until Kushina became convinced that Kakashi was about to return home. She'd scold him for being late then tease him about how much he had grown up since she had last seen him.

Seconds ticked by, transforming into minutes and then into hours. For three hours Kushina sat there as the steam wafted away and the soup grew cold.

"He is alive," she snarled and her eyes glowed with denial. "I _know_ he is." She stood up.

There must be a mistake. Kakashi couldn't be dead. He just couldn't. As far as Kushina was concerned it was impossible because it would mean that she had broken her promise to Sakumo and Kushina never broke her promises.

"Damn it," Kushina striding to the porch and pulled on her sandals. "Kakashi's not dead. Don't worry sensei, I'll prove it." Shrouding herself in angry denial, Kushina marched out of the house.

* * *

><p>When Rin was younger her mother told her that stars were windows for the dead to watch their loved ones. She leant against the memorial stone, hugging her knees, as she stared up at the stars littering the sky. Her breath came out in icy wisps but somehow… She'd stopped feeling the cold.<p>

"I never… Never… I just wanted to show you how much I'd improved…" She whispered as hot tears trickled down her painted cheeks.

Time had eroded away Rin's crush on Kakashi. Perhaps being surrounded by people who had lost loved ones caused her to realise how childish her crush was. In any case, before she knew it, she had stopped calling him Kakashi-kun. When he had sent her the snowdrop for her birthday, it hadn't set off the familiar swooping feeling in her chest. Instead it only caused her smile and it was then she realised that her obsession with the genius had faded. She only thought of him as both a comrade and friend.

His past and the air of mystery that had surrounded him no longer seemed enticing. Instead, Rin only found it incredibly tragic at how alone he was. She fretted over him, the same way she fretted over Obito's constant fight to be accepted by his clan. Like a mother she worried about whether the boys were getting enough to eat, if they were cold being up north and how they were managing on the field.

So when rumours and tales of the massacre of the Iwa outpost had drifted to Konoha, Rin had been horrified. She heard stories of how the mountain streams had turned red with blood... Aoba said that while on an intelligence mission he heard some Iwa nin talking about the White Demon. Supposedly the spirit of the White Fang had possessed a boy and this boy had slaughtered hundreds of Iwa nins then drunk the blood of the slain.

"There you are!" A loud voice suddenly cut through the air, jerking Rin from her dark thoughts.

Rin flinched. The person's tone sounded so _inappropriate_… She turned her head to see a silhouette stride out from the darkness of the woods. Their walk was so confident, so angry, and so familiar… Her eyes widened as moonlight bounced off red locks.

"Rin!" Kushina called. "Why are you sitting here trying to freeze yourself to death?"

"K-Kushina?" Rin said in disbelief. Slowly, she forced her stiff limbs to move and she stood up.

"Why did I say about stuttering?" Kushina demanded, giving her swift whack round the head.

Rin rubbed her head. Didn't Kushina know? After all she was the closest Kakashi had had to family… But if she was back she must know… But why did she only seem furious?

"Why are you sitting out here moping anyway?" Kushina asked with a frown.

"Kakashi…" Rin began to desperately blink to stop any more tears from flowing. "Kakashi's-"

"In so much trouble, you got that right," Kushina snorted. "K.I.A my arse. When I get my hands he'll definitely be dead."

"But Kushina," Rin started. "H-"

"He's not dead," Kushina whispered and her azure eyes blazed through the darkness. "Kakashi is not dead. I would _know_ if Kakashi was dead. I'd _feel _it."

There was an agonising edge of desperation to Kushina's voice and the 'dattebane' that infected the end of each sentence told Rin everything.

"C'mon," Kushina said, grabbing Rin's hand and it shocked her how hot the older woman's skin felt.

"Where are we going?" Rin asked as Kushina dragged her along.

"To the morgue," Kushina told her. "You have access right?"

"Yes," Rin admitted as she was frog-marched through the woods. Kakashi's body had arrived two days ago but Rin hadn't dared to go and see him… The reality of it… She just didn't want to face it just yet.

"Good," Kushina said. "We'll go in there and prove to them it's not Kakashi. There has to be some mistake, some kind of admin error."

Rin was speechless at the extent of Kushina's denial. All she could do was let herself she dragged along into the hospital. The medical staff on night shift looked alarmed by the determined red headed woman who stormed through the doors with Rin in tow but with Rin's apologetic smile they didn't say anything.

"Because of Kakashi's… Dad there might be ANBU on guard," Rin whispered as the descended down the stairs to the morgue.

"ANBU," Kushina snorted. "I'd like to see those morons try to stop me."

By the way Rin had lost sensation in her hand from Kushina's iron grip, she doubted that a squad of Black Ops ANBU would be able to take her on.

Just as she'd predicted there were two ANBU standing guard outside the morgue doors. The one to the left who was wearing a cat mask said, "Do you permission to be down here?"

Kushina gave the poor ANBU a saccharine smile. "Permission, huh?" She smiled sweetly. "Are you saying I need permission?"

"Uzumaki-san," the other dragon masked ANBU said. "You'll have to report to the Hokage first before you can see Hatake Kakashi. The Third's orders."

Rin winced at the ANBU's mistake. Kushina wheeled round and said in a dangerous voice, "You're telling me that I'm not allowed to see the boy who is a little brother to me?"

The ANBU, who was probably new on the job, gulped.

"I've been to see the Old Man already," Kushina told them as she inspected her dirt-stained fingernails. "He told me to see Kakashi in the morning when I've 'cleared my head' but I want to see him now to prove them wrong."

The ANBU faltered and they glanced at each other.

"I'll check," the dragon-masked ANBU said and he body-flickered away. It didn't take long for the ANBU to return and he nodded at his partner.

"He says it's fine, however he strongly recommends that you see him when you've recovered from your journey," the ANBU said. " Rin too should get some sleep. It's midnight after all."

Kushina, however, wasn't having any of it. Rin found her agonising to watch. Her sheer obstinate belief that Kakashi was still alive was heart breaking.

Slowly, with a shaking hand, Rin keyed in the code and the doors to the morgue slid open. Immediately Kushina flicked on the lights and headed inside. Rin paused. This was it. As soon as she saw Kakashi's body lying on the cold, metal table it would be confirmation that he was really gone.

"You don't have to go in if you don't want to," The dragon-masked ANBU said softly to her.

Rin shook her head fiercely. "No," She whispered. "I'll have to say goodbye sooner or later."

As she stepped inside the icy morgue with the two ANBU behind her, the sound of the door sliding shut sounded so final.

She glanced over to see that Kushina had already found where Kakashi's body had been stored. His body was lying on a metal table, a white sheet obscuring him from their view. Stomach acid rose up, burning Rin throat but she forced it down. She had to do this. He was her teammate, her friend. She had to say goodbye.

The two ANBU stayed in the shadows to give them some privacy but Rin stepped forwards. She watched as Kushina slowly peeled back the sheet.

Rin took a sharp intake of breath. She had completely forgotten that Kakashi wouldn't be wearing a mask; the thought had never entered her head. All the times that Obito had tried to get her to conspire against Kakashi so they could see his face… And now here it was. So cold, so still and stark under the light.

Rin felt like she should turn away. This was wrong. This was like seeing Kakashi naked. But his appearance held her attention. She had always imagined Kakashi to be incredibly handsome, it would have matched her mysterious persona after all. Yet… His face was nothing like she had expected. It wasn't handsome, striking yes, but not handsome. His face was far too sharp and angular to be good looking and his lips were too thin. Rin guessed though that he would have been attractive but not in the conventional sense if she'd seen him without a mask when he was alive.

_Why am I thinking am his looks? _Rin thought, wanting to slap herself. _This is Kakashi… He's gone. _Pressure began to build up behind her eyes and tears trickled down her cheeks.

"Huh… Well they have his face…" Kushina breathed and Rin heard a slight crack in her conviction. Kushina gently stroked Kakashi's cheek with the back of her fingers. "You've grown up a lot since I last saw you…"

Rin bit her lip to prevent any sobs from escaping and she turned her head away, unable to watch anymore. She didn't want this. She didn't want this memory. The boy on the table, he looked nothing like the way she remembered Kakashi. Without the mask and three years older… He almost looked like a stranger.

"There must be an explanation," Kushina muttered. "There must be… Something the medics overlooked… _Anything_…"

"Kushina," Rin whispered.

"You can't be dead," Kushina ignored her, still speaking to the corpse. "You _have _to be alive. Kakashi… You're all I have left of sensei and I promised him that I would protect you."

"Kushina," Rin repeated, her voice growing louder and she turned back to her tutor. Kushina was beginning to shake as she chewed her lip.

"I promised," Kushina whispered. "I never said this but you're family, y'know? So you can't be dead…"

"Kushina!" Rin snapped and she clenched her fists. "Kakashi's gone!"

The words bounced around the morgue and Kushina stared at Rin like she'd been stabbed. Rin moved without thinking and she walked around the table until she was standing next to Kushina. Gently, she touched her tutor's arm.

"K-Kakashi's gone," Rin began sob. "Ok? So p-please… J-just… Stop…"

"Sorry," Kushina whispered and Rin was alarmed to see small tears trail from Kushina's eyes. "Sorry… I'm so sorry…"

A salty drop, fell onto Kakashi's cheek and Rin watched as it slid down his pale she froze. Something looked decidedly strange about his skin. It appeared to be too full of texture.

"Kushina," Rin whispered and hope threatened to grow in her stomach. "Kushina!"

Kushina blinked away her tears to see what Rin was pointing at. "His skin," She muttered.

With a hesitant hand, Rin pressed a finger against Kakashi's cheek. Channelling a minute amount of chakra in the tip she gently scraped off the top layer. It was delicate work because Rin was terrified that she'd mar his body.

But as she lift her finger away and examined the piece of dead skin, Rin gasped. "Snake's skin?" She breathed. "How's that possible?'

She showed the fragment of skin to Kushina whose grief faded away and was replaced by a stormy look.

"A clone," Kushina said and a slow grin spread across his face. "Ha. I knew it wasn't Kakashi!"

Suddenly, just as the ANBU who were standing near the door were about to approach them about their discovery, another body flickered into the morgue.

"Uzumaki-san, Nohara-san," the new, boar-masked ANBU said. "The Hokage would like to see you now. Namikaze-san has returned with some new information concerning the White Fang's son."

"Perfect," Kushina grinned. "Because we have some information for him."

* * *

><p>Obito returned back to Konoha at precisely two in the morning. His usual boundless energy had vanished, sapped away by the journey and grief. He dragged himself the steps to the Hokage's tower, to debrief with whatever poor chunin had been delegated night duty.<p>

"Bastard," Obito muttered under his breath. He'd been muttering that word throughout his journey home.

However as he finally made it to the desk the chunin had the nerve to beam at him. That was right, it was two in the morning, Obito had just returned from a war because his friend had been killed and this moron was sitting there grinning at him.

"Uchiha Obito?" The chunin said. "You've heard the news."

"Of course I've heard the news," Obito scowled. "Why do you think I've returned home?"

The chunin waved his hands apologetically, "No I mean the _new_ news. Hatake Kakashi is alive."

Obito blinked. Hard. He opened his mouth and then closed it again. For a good minute he stared at the chunin until he finally managed, "Huh?"

"I don't know the precise details," the chunin told him. "But Minato-san and Kushina-san have discovered that Hatake is definitely alive."

Slow, wonderful relief swept over Obito. Then it was soon replaced indignation. After all the anger, tears and grief Kakashi was actually alive?

"Damn it!" Obito shouted.

The chunin jumped back in his seat giving Obito a stunned look. "That... Wasn't the reaction I was expecting," the chunin muttered.

"I'm going to kill that bastard for making me cry," Obito growled and with another word he stomped to the Hokage's office. With a sharp knock, he flung the door open.

The Third was sitting at his desk, looking exactly the same as ever as he smoked his pipe. Kushina and Minato-sensei stood together; Obito was relieved to see that they appeared the same.

"Obito!" A voice cried. Small arms suddenly wrapped themselves around him and Obito blinked stupidly as a girl hugged him. The girl stepped back and she smiled at him. Beautiful, shiny coca locks graced her shoulders and already her figure was making the transition away from childhood.

"Rin?" Obito spluttered, recognising her painted cheeks and kind eyes. "You… You look… You… You've shrunk."

Kushina snorted from the corner and the Third chuckled.

"You've just grown," Rin laughed. "It's great to see you."

Obito was struck by how confident she had become. Not a single stutter or pause infected her speech. Three years ago he had considered his teammate to be pretty, now she was fast approaching beautiful.

"It's… It's great to see you to," Obito stammered as his cheeks turned red as Kushina's hair.

"It's been too long, eh Obito?" Minato smiled at his student.

Obito grinned, "It's great to see you Sensei!"

"Now we're all reunited," the Third cleared his throat. "We shall discuss the matter at hand. Obito have you been briefed on the current situation?"

"I just know that Kakashi isn't dead," Obito grumbled. "That idiot… Making us go through all of that and he's not even dead..."

"We discovered that the body is actually a clone," Kushina explained loudly, over Obito's muttering. "It's a perfect genetic replica, which is why it fooled the medics."

"So who made the clone?" Obito asked. He didn't miss the dark looks that Minato and Kushina exchanged. Clearly there was something more to the story.

"That we do not know for sure," the Third said. "However, Kakashi's summon has informed Minato of the current situation."

"Pakkun has gone back to his world to recover after his journey," Minato said. "However he told me everything."

He gave the Third a strange look causing Obito to be even more confused.

"What happened, Sensei?" Rin asked.

Minato sighed, running a hand down his face. "Kakashi was sent out on a scouting mission," he told them. "However he ran into a Kumo party and was captured. You remember the mission we took in the Frost country? Kakashi is very valuable to Kumo not only as a Konoha ninja but also as Sakumo-san's son."

"Kidnapped?" Rin breathed.

"Our forces are stretched at the moment," the Third sighed. "However Kakashi is far too valuable to lose."

Obito's gut instinct was to demand to be on the rescue party however he suppressed it. He had learnt that rushing into things was not the answer. What mattered right now was gaining as much information as possible.

The Third gave Obito an approving look as he blew a puff of smoke into the air. "I would like to send the four of you as a team to rescue Kakashi, with Minato as captain," he said. "Pakkun estimated that it would take the Kumo party three weeks to return to their village. Given that Kakashi was captured on the 19th you have-"

"Eleven days," Minato finished with a nod.

"Correct," the Hokage agreed. "It would be best to intercept them on the way otherwise it would be next to impossible to infiltrate Kumogakure, especially during wartime. Minato, I assume that you have already formed a plan?"

Minato nodded, "We'll wait for everyone to recover before setting out. I've talked to Pakkun and Kakashi's pack have agreed to help us track them."

"Good," the Third said. "I wish you good luck. Ah Kushina, Biwako will want to speak to you before you leave."

Kushina gave a reluctant nod while Minato glanced at her slightly confused. They turned to leave the office but just as Obito walked out of the door he heard Minato-sensei start, "Hokage-sama-"

"I am well aware of the implications," the Third said and suddenly he sounded exhausted. "Do not worry I will now personally investigate into the matter."

Obito felt a tug on his sleeve and he glanced up to see Rin jerk her head. Nodding, they continued their way down the corridor.

"Do you think we'll be able to rescue Kakashi?" Rin asked him in her gentle voice. "I mean the Kumo jonin must be really powerful…"

"We will," Obito said, with fake confidence and he flashed Rin a smile. "I know we will."

Rin smiled, "Thank you, Obito. I missed you and Kakashi too."

Obito smile faded. No matter how much he denied it felt wrong without Kakashi here. It just wasn't Team 7 or Team Minato, as it now should be called seeing as they were all chunin.

Obito's hands curled into fists and he thought, _damn it Kakashi, we're going to find you... I promise._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I've spent a lot of time thinking about Obito's sharingan and it struck me as slightly odd that he never managed to awaken it earlier despite the fact that he lived during a war in the canon - that might just be me though. According to Naruto Wiki the sharingan is awakened by a stressful situation or a certain emotional condition. So for this I wanted something more understated I guess and hopefully it explains why his sharingan hasn't been awakened earlier. Hope that all makes sense and that you enjoyed the chapter!**


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

It was amazing how in three years Konoha had remained exactly the same as Obito remembered it. As the village slept in the cold, early hours of the morning Obito felt as if he was walking through a mere memory. As he strode over the Naka River, the water turned into liquid silver and the spirit of the river whispered long lost secrets with the gentle burbling. The stark, naked branches of the trees swayed as shadows danced across the water's surface. Obito had to bite his lip to confirm that he wasn't travelling through a surreal dreamscape. He really was back home in Konoha and Kakashi really was alive.

His legs carried him not to the Uchiha Compound entrance but instead round the whitewashed walls. In one seamless leap Obito jumped onto the rooftops. It was strange how his shortcut that once took a large amount of scrabbling was now effortless.

His feet ghosted across the tiles and he leapt onto the top of a telegraph pole to stare at the compound below him. The village with it's colourful array of mismatched shops and haphazard houses had appeared more welcoming than the clinical buildings of the Uchiha clan. The compound was an entire world from the rest of Konoha, and Konoha was an entire universe away from the war.

Obito frowned as he bounded onto the roof of the bakery and with another leap he landed onto the apartment roof. As he slid down it felt like he'd been transported back into time. He pulled out his key from a pocket; Obito ran a thumb over the metal. It'd been years since he'd used it… Would the lock reject the key? Would it even feel like home to him anymore?

With exhausted hesitation Obito slid the key and it fitted perfectly, a piece missing from the puzzle. He pushed open the door and a wonderfully nostalgic scent washed over him. Smells of freshly oiled kunai, cooking and old socks. It wasn't appealing to most people but Obito inhaled the scent with a tired smile.

Suddenly as Obito stepped inside there was soft whistling. Instantly, his reflexes kicked in and Obito tilted his head to the side just as a kunai whizzed past his ear. A pair red sharingan floated before him from the dark apartment.

"Who are you?" The eyes asked, the voice easily betraying the person's age. Those three words told Obito the person was young, brave and had far too much experience of combat for their years.

A grin stretched away Obito's face and he said, "That's the kind of welcome home I get?"

The figure, which Obito sensed was lurking near the bathroom door, paused. "Obito?"

Obito's smile grew bigger and he said softly, "Hey Shisui."

The speed at which the figure flashed forwards took Obito by surprise. Small arms fasted themselves around his waist causing a small whoosh of air to escape from his mouth.

"I thought you were an intruder," Shisui explained with his face buried in Obito's flak jacket. "You were so quiet… I only managed to sense your chakra when you were outside the door."

"Ah sorry," Obito grinned. "Habit… You learn how to move quietly when you… Never mind. Still it's amazing you can sense my chakra at your age."

Shisui let go of his cousin and gave him a smile. For a moment Obito was taken aback at how much Shisui had grown. He still had the same dishevelled hair but his eyes held a strangely reserved look that no eight year olds should have. Even his smile had changed. Gone was the mischievous grin. Instead it looked pained, filled with loss and trauma. It was clear that Shisui had seen too much of the war.

"But your reflexes are something," Shisui said as Obito stepped inside, dropped his pack to the floor and pulled off his sandals.

"Nah it's just something you learn," Obito shrugged.

"So… You're definitely back right?" Shisui said and there was a hopeful tinge to his voice. "I mean I know you were posted in Grass Country but the war is over in Suna and-"

"I'm leaving tomorrow evening," Obito told him gently. "Minato-sensei told us to rest for the day and then we'll leave for a mission."

Even in the dark apartment Obito could make out Shisui's shoulders sagging. "Right," Shisui mumbled.

"I'll be around for the day though," Obito said and he reached over to ruffle Shisui's head.

"I'm not a kid anymore, Obito," Shisui dodged his hand. "I get that you have a duty for the village."

Obito's arm dropped to his side and what he did next was completely instinctive. He knelt down in front of his younger cousin and pulled him into a bear hug. Shisui stiffened at the contact but then, he began to relax.

Lost time, so many precious moments wiped away because of the war. Obito knew it wasn't his fault that he hadn't been there for Shisui. He knew it… But he didn't _feel_ it. Obito would have given everything to be there when his younger cousin graduated from academy. He would have comforted Shisui through those long nights after he had lost his sensei and teammate. Unlike the rest of the clan, Obito wouldn't have celebrated that Shisui gained the sharingan. Instead he would have mourned the fact that on the same day his cousin awakened his bloodline limit his team had been torn apart.

Instead Obito could only do these things from afar and write letters. No matter how he phrased each letter to Shisui the words always seemed so insubstantial, so impersonal. How could you express a hug or comforting silence with just pencil and paper?

Obito squeezed Shisui. Right now, it didn't matter. All that truly mattered was the present and Obito's resolve to carve the way to a brighter future.

"It's true that everyone has a duty to their village," Obito whispered as Shisui sniffed into his flak jacket. "But you're my younger cousin and the little brother that I never had. So it's my duty to protect you… I'm sorry that I couldn't be there… Otouto."

Shisui trembled slightly and he muttered, "You stink, Obi-nii."

Grinning, Obito released him and he pretended not to see Shisui wipe his eyes. "Go get some sleep," he said, ruffling Shisui's hair. Shisui nodded and padded over to his room. With a soft click, the door was shut leaving Obito alone.

For a moment he debated whether to have a shower or not seeing as he couldn't remember the last time he had one but exhaustion won over. Stumbling over, Obito opened his room door. Everything was exactly as he had left it. Same old whitewashed walls with splashes of orange on the skirting board. His cupboards were untouched with the old shruiken stickers on the doors. The Uchiha symbol, stencilled by Mikoto stood sentry on the back of his bedroom door.

Not a single speck of dust stained the place. Someone had kept his room in immaculate condition while he was away.

Too tired to figure out whom, Obito unzipped his flak jacket and threw it onto the floor. Then he shed the rest of his clothing until he was left with his mesh shirt and ninja pants. With one step he flopped face first onto the bed and the scent of freshly laundered sheets invaded his senses.

Inwardly Obito smiled as he thought of the smell of the apartment, Shisui and scent of the sheets. As his consciousness began to slip away, one blissful thought finally filled his mind: _I'm home._

* * *

><p>Darui sat cross-legged as he examined a shard of the White Fang. The small room they had rented was fairly basic and with the shutters closed, the only source of light was a lamp in the centre. It was better than the room that they had originally been given. That room had had splotches of damp collecting in the corners of the ceiling and the bedrolls had been ridden with lice. It'd only been after A had almost killed the innkeeper that they'd been provided with the 'premium room'.<p>

The 'premium room' was cosy to say the least and only had the faint aroma of mould, with a wonderful balcony view of a brothel. After C had borrowed a broom and had swept the place clean, the room had become vaguely habitable. Even then they decided to use their own bedrolls.

Darui held up the shard to the flickering light. He briefly closed his eyes, focusing his chakra into the blade. The metal glowed a dullish grey then flickered and died. Squinting, Darui stared at the shard and his eyes widened. A small flake fluttered to the floor. The shard had started to rust.

"Found anything?" A grunted from the other side of the room.

"Yeah," Darui frowned. "The White Fang doesn't seem to take to my chakra… Shame really."

"Would you say it's reparable?" A asked.

Darui shook his head. "Even though we sent a piece to the research bureau I doubt they'll be able find what was used to make the blade," he said in an apologetic tone. "It seems to be… Imbued with some kind of technique or seal… Maybe if we forged it with another metal it may work… I can't really say…"

"Shame," Darui sighed. "I would have liked to try out the white chakra sabre…"

Suddenly a faint stirring from the corner of the room caused the two men to glance over at the small sleeping form.

"The kid finally awake?" A muttered. The White Fang's son had been unconscious for almost twelve days though Darui was glad seeing as he was one having to lug him around.

Darui watched as A moved over to where the boy was sleeping. "Hey kid," A said giving him what was possibly supposed to be a gentle shake.

"Err Boss that probably won't help," Darui said rubbing the back of his sheepishly.

A ignored his teammate and gave the boy another shake. "Quit pretending to be asleep," he said.

There was a pause then Darui heard a quiet croak, "Is it really irreparable?'

"Don't they teach you any manners in Konoha?" A growled as the boy struggled to sit up. "You're supposed to introduce yourself before you ask any questions."

The boy's eyes darted from A to Darui as he assessed his surroundings. His gaze then fell onto his right hand that was swathed in bandages. C had told them that the bones were crushed in his hand and it would take a long time for it to heal. Realising his situation, the boy's shoulders slumped. Darui was pleased to see that the kid wasn't stupid.

"We know you're the White Fang's son," Darui told him. "So you might as well give us your name, hey Hatake?"

The boy's eyes switched to the shard in Darui's hand. The amber light filled his grey irises giving the impression that no soul resided within his eyes. It was as if he had died along with his father's weapon.

"Kakashi," the boy finally muttered. "Hatake Kakashi."

"Sakumo certainly had a sense of humour," A muttered. He then narrowed his eyes. "How old are you, kid?"

Kakashi seemed to mull over his question. "Thirteen," he told them; finally deciding that giving them his age wasn't detrimental to his village.

Darui raised a languid eyebrow. This boy was becoming more and more interesting. Very few children of that age could have given them such a chase as Kakashi had done. B and Yugito could have but then both were jinchuriki. It was incredibly rare to find someone who was of that age and at that level, especially when they ran on talent and hard work rather than with the help of a tailed beast or a bloodline limit. No wonder the Raikage was interested in him. Idly, Darui wondered what his skills with a sword were like. It would be interesting to test him.

"So is it irreparable?" Kakashi repeated, staring at Darui.

"Idiot," A said, cuffing Kakashi over the head and causing the poor boy to groan. "Konoha brats always lack manners."

Darui suppressed a smile. For someone who regularly destroyed walls, A was rather adamant when it came to certain social etiquettes.

"When you introduce yourself you must wait for the other person to do the same," A grabbed the boy by the scruff of the neck and gave him a shake. "Understand?"

"Err… Yes," Kakashi muttered, sweating from the pain of his injuries.

_C's really not going to be happy if he has to heal the kid's injuries again, _Darui thought amusedly as he watched A let go of Kakashi.

"Good," A said. "I'm A. The lazy looking one in the corner is Darui and C, who's out buying our dinner at the moment, is the one who healed you. Remember to thank him later."

"Right…" Kakashi nodded, looking extremely bemused.

Darui didn't blame him. It wasn't every day that your captors introduced themselves and gave you a lecture on manners. Usually anonymity came in handy with scare tactics during interrogation. Then again some interrogators favoured a more personal approach. This, however, was not an interrogation technique. It was simply A showing that he had some degree of respect towards the White Fang's son. Though it was his talent and lineage that was his reason for his capture, it would also ensure good treatment as a prisoner of war.

It was a standard procedure. Good care and a handy seal to suppress the person's memories usually ensured their integration into Kumo. They would usually spend a couple of years being closely monitored and frequent check-ups for the rest of their life that the seal remained intact. They'd only managed to capture a small handful of people, however all of these ninja eventually believed that Kumo had saved them and a lot of the time it was true. The Raikage always targeted outsiders. Their isolation usually made the seal stronger.

This method had never failed the village and it'd been passed down since the time of the First Raikage. With someone like Kakashi, Darui knew that he would be difficult to control but if they managed it he may make a high-ranking position.

Darui frowned as he remembered the strange seal that had been placed on Kakashi. Someone from Konoha wanted the boy dead. As A had pointed out it would make integrating Kakashi into Kumo that much easier. However… Darui hated the underhand way the person had tried to kill the White Fang's son.

"So…" Kakashi started, shaking Darui from his thoughts.

"I didn't manage to collect all the pieces, " Darui admitted to him. "A lot were too small to find so even if we did melt the pieces down and attempted to forge it the tanto would only be about the size of a kunai. Channelling chakra doesn't seem to work either so-"

"It won't accept your chakra," Kakashi interrupted. The boy didn't bother to elaborate and Darui had a feeling it was something to do with his family. No doubt the tanto had been passed through generations. It was a family heirloom so perhaps… It was designed so only those of Hatake blood could use it. Darui slipped the shard into his pocket. He couldn't wait till he got back home so he could examine the blade further.

Suddenly there was a succession of rhythmic knocking. Darui ambled up and open the door, letting C in who was laden with plastic bags.

"Let me guess," Darui said dryly as C placed the bags down. "More rice?"

"How did you guess?" C said with a grin.

They were in the Rice Country however after four days of travelling through the country Darui was thoroughly sick of the stuff. Every day for all three meals it'd been boiled rice, fried rice, onigiri, curried rice and not to mention broth.

"Typical," A said.

"You're awake," C said glancing over at Kakashi as he locked the door. "You won't be able to eat solids for about a week while your internal injuries are healing. I've brought some broth just in case you did wake up."

Prompted by a glare from A Kakashi said, "Uh… Thanks… For saving my life…"

There was an edge of sincerity to the boy's voice that caused Darui to narrow his eyes. So the boy did know that someone from Konoha had tried to kill him. Poor kid must have been in a tough position.

C accepted Kakashi's gratitude with a nod. The boy then stared at the container C had pressed into his hands. He pulled open the lid and the aroma of broth wafted over them.

"Food is terrible," A muttered as he tore open his container. "The sooner we're back home the better."

Darui opened his box revealing mushy, congealed rice. There were strange looking black blobs in among the grey grains and he tried not to think what they were. Yep, the sooner they were back home in Kumo the better.

He glanced at Kakashi who was staring rather meditatively at his broth. The boy glanced at A then turned away.

As soon as they'd captured Kakashi, they had taken great care to strip him of his Konoha uniform. The pockets of his flak jacket had been ransacked then destroyed along with his forehead protector and the rest of his clothes so any trace of his scent would be eliminated. After bandaging Kakashi, C had then dressed the unconscious boy in the simple Kumogakure attire of a black long sleeved shirt, ninja pants and sandals using the spare clothing they had among them. Out of respect Darui had stolen a black scarf from a washing line a couple days of ago to hide the boy's appearance, after leaving an apologetic note behind of course.

Darui watched with mild amusement as Kakashi positioned himself so his face was hidden by shadows so then he could pull his scarf down to eat.

_Weird custom, _Darui thought. _Maybe it's a Konoha thing._

The meal was eaten in silence. It was clear that Kakashi was constantly analysing their movements despite his condition. The kid really was something.

When they'd finished eating, Kakashi shifted back round and A said, "We'll talk later, son of the White Fang. For now, you're going to sleep."

Before any of them could react, A's hand was a mere blur as he cuffed the boy around the head with such force that it rendered Kakashi unconscious.

"He'll be out for a couple of days," A shrugged as C sighed and Darui laughed weakly. "He probably would have waited to recover the tried out some idiotic escape plan. At least this way he won't be any trouble and I won't accidentally kill him."

"Fair enough," C nodded.

"Things will be interesting when we get home," Darui muttered. He thought of the White Fang and slowly an idea began to form inside his mind of how to repair the blade.

* * *

><p>The mission to track down Kakashi was becoming beyond frustrating full of countless false trails and dead ends. Dressed in civilian clothing, Minato had split the group: Obito and Rin were with Bull, Kushina with Bisuke and he with Pakkun. The rest of the pack had then been paired up with a number of Kushina's shadow clones. Kakashi's summons were having a lot of trouble even tracking Kakashi's scent. It seemed that the Kumo ninja were pros at evasion.<p>

In six days they had been led on an infuriating chase through the Fire Country, Waterfall Country and now the trail had led them to a seedy town in the far north of Rice Country. With only four days left before the Kumo nins would approximately arrive back to their village, Minato was growing desperate. They had to resort on information rather than following Kakashi's dwindling scent, the remnants of which had been washed away by last night's rain.

Kushina and Minato stood at the counter of possibly the grottiest inn they have ever had the misfortune to set foot in. The innkeeper was a fat, greasy man who had the constant stench of alcohol wafting around him.

"Hmm… Any ninja you say?" The man splayed his sausage fingers on the counter as he consulted an oily guestbook. He snorted, "If you want information on my guests, that'll cost you."

Kushina opened her mouth to protest but Minato stopped her. Casually he pulled out a couple of notes from his pocket slid them across the countertop.

"Women eh?" The man laughed, immediately snatching up the money.

Minato could feel Kushina fizzing with anger but he shook his head.

"You're from Whirlpool aren't you?" The man eyed Kushina beadily. "Load of the poor sods drifted in years ago. Bloody refugees… Fire Country is clogged with then." He glanced at Minato who'd tensed.

"Relax!" The man guffawed. "I've always had an eye for telling where people come from… You don't get hair or a skin like that anywhere else… And you, my man, have a Konoha accent."

"How observant of you," Kushina said stonily.

The man wiped his pudgy hands down his shirt leaving a trail of grease and he smirked, "You ninja may dress in civilian clothing but you don't move like em'. Same with the guys from Lightning Country."

"Lightning Country?" Minato narrowed his eyes. "How long ago were they here?"

"That'll cost ya'," the innkeeper informed them.

The next time the greasy man blinked he suddenly found himself pinned against the countertop with his arm twisted at a vicious angle.

"I'm afraid you haven't earned that," Minato informed him, his blue eyes freezing over.

"Damn you ninja," the innkeeper spat. "You're all the bloody same."

Minato applied a hint more pressure on the man's arm causing him to yowl with pain. Slowly, he pressed the innkeeper's face into the counter-top and the man whimpered.

"Fine damn it!" The man groaned. "I'll tell you everything you need to know, just let me go already!"

"I don't think so," Minato said softly. "First you have to apologise to Kushina for insulting her people."

"I'm sorry," the innkeeper muttered.

Minato glanced at Kushina and asked in a conversational voice, "Do you think he's sorry? Because I'm not sure…"

"Hmm," Kushina tapped her chin as she pretended to think. "Let me see-"

"Gah! I'm sorry for insulting the Whirlpoolers!" The innkeeper moaned. "Just let me go."

"Now tell me about the ninja who stayed here," Minato said. He wasn't a sadistic person, quite the opposite in fact. Minato was loath to admit it but he knew that with people like this violence was the only means of getting through to them, especially when it came to a parasite like this man.

"Ok, ok," the man, groaned. "The three men who looked like they were from Lightning Country stayed here three days ago. One of them was a complete beast, punched a hole through one of my walls."

"The nerve of some people," Kushina muttered dryly.

"Anything else?" Minato asked.

"Ahh, there was a boy," the innkeeper gasped. "Couldn't really see…"

"Not good enough," Minato said, grinding the man's face into the counter.

"Gah!" The man yelped, now talking as fast as possible. "He was slung over one of the men's shoulder, thought he was a piece of luggage at first… Kid was unconscious, looked pretty beaten up."

Suddenly there was a thundering of footsteps as someone charged downstairs into the lobby. Obito who had snuck in earlier via one of the balconies appeared with Pakkun at his feet.

"Woah Sensei," Obito grinned as he took in the scene. "You really are as badass as they say."

Kushina snorted with amusement as Pakkun added, "Kakashi was definitely here. I managed to find a hint of his scent."

"Good work," Minato nodded finally releasing the innkeeper. The man stumbled back and fell onto his large behind as he groaned with relief.

"You ninja are animals," the innkeeper snarled.

Minato sighed and chose to ignore him as they walked out of the inn. Images from the second and third war flashed through his mind. Hatred was an endless cycle in the world of ninja, no wonder Jiraiya was searching for the saviour. Minato was a modest man and though he knew Jiraiya thought it was him, he didn't feel like someone who could save the village let alone the world. Half the time he managed to survive by pure luck and his skills were at the level they were because he didn't slouch around. Minato believed that Jiraiya would one day find the person who would stop the cycle of hatred however he was convinced it wasn't him. If it was, shouldn't he have had the power to stop this war?

"Sensei!" Rin ran up to the group as they walked down the street, with Bisuke trotting at her heels. "We couldn't find a trace of his scent anywhere."

"It doesn't matter, Rin," Minato told her. "If they stayed here than the most likely route they'll take will be the side road eastwards to the Land of Hot Water."

The team hurried on down the street. He was keen to leave this town since they had outstayed their welcome. That innkeeper would most likely have contacts that could be a bit 'troublesome' in the words of Shikaku.

After fifteen or so minutes as they made out of the town and down a path that carved its way through a sea of paddy fields, the group stopped.

"If they're three days ahead of us they'll probably be in Frost Country by nightfall," Kushina said.

The group fell silent. Frost Country was currently the ground for the stalemate between Kumo and Konoha. If they travelled through there they'd most likely be held up or they would be forced to slow their pace if they wanted to travel through undetected. Even if by some miracle they managed to make it through Frost Country at the pace they were going at, Lightning Country would be even more dangerous. The Kumo nins would most definitely have the advantage in familiarity of the terrain. Minato wasn't keen to fight them in their own territory and the roads would most likely be watched.

Minato glanced at Rin and Obito. They'd grown up so much from the small, bickering children he had first taken on. Both were now fine ninja that Minato could be proud of.

Obito now resembled a beanpole, made completely from wiry muscle. His voice had the adolescent roughness to it though Minato noticed that whenever he became flustered or excited the pitch would swoop upwards, much to the boy's mortification. Judging by the way Obito glanced at Rin every ten seconds teenage hormones had begun to stew inside his student. Minato made a mental note not to let Obito anywhere near Jiraiya. He was not going to let his student become Konoha's latest pervert.

Minato had seen Rin once this year after Inoichi had been poisoned but then he never really had a good chance to talk to her. Rin had been rushed into the outpost since their camp medic couldn't find an antidote. Minato had only seen a flash of her hair and her outline from the distance.

However as he glanced down at her now, Minato's chest almost burst with pride. Gone was the girl who could barely string a sentence together without a stutter. The new Rin moved with graceful confidence that most adept kunoichi possessed. The childish roundness was beginning to melt away from her body and it made Minato uncomfortable to think that in a few years she'd probably have to fend off many teenage boys.

He'd also caught onto the fact that she no longer added an honorific after Kakashi's name. Minato was all too glad that Rin's crush, by the looks of things, had died. It made him smile that Obito's crush on Rin seemed to have only grown. The way he had gaped at her in the Hokage's office reminded Minato of the way he had looked at Kushina when he had first seen her after the Second War. Despite the fact one of the rules in the ninja code forbade relationships among teammates, Minato thought Rin could do much, much worse than Obito. And if Minato were correct in his prediction then Obito's feelings for Rin would only expand to something more substantial than a crush when they grew older.

For a moment Minato's eyes clouded over. No doubt Kakashi would look more and more like Sakumo-san with each passing day.

Inwardly, Minato wanted to punch himself. He should have realised something was amiss when Kakashi's letters had stopped. He should have tried to transfer Kakashi or _something_.

"There is no way we'll be able to catch up with them by land," Minato finally told them, as he dragged his thoughts away from his students.

Obito's shoulder sagged and he protested, "Sensei we can't just abandon Kakashi."

Rin however had caught onto the end of Minato's sentence. "By land?" She frowned.

"The Rice Country port is only an hour's walk away from here," Minato told them. "We'll rent a boat and sail to Lightning Country."

"Sail?" Obito's eyes widened causing Minato to smile. Rin had probably glimpsed the great sandy beaches in the southern parts of River Country, however Obito who'd been posted further north in Grass Country had never seen the sea. After all Konoha was a landlocked village.

Kushina grinned and she said, "I take it when you say rent you want me to pilot the boat?"

"Of course," Minato smiled.

"You know how to sail a boat?" Obito said, staring at Kushina.

Kushina laughed, "Obviously. We learnt how to track currents and how to predict the weather, that's academy stuff. We used to hold our chunin exams on a neighbouring island and one of the exams was that you had to find a route back to the village through all the whirlpools, while trying to steal scrolls off of each other."

Obito stared at Kushina, suitably impressed. It made the Forest of Death sound like a walk in the park.

The team continued on their way, heading in the direction of the port.

Minato decided not to mention to the rest of the team that by the time they would reach the Land of Lightning the three weeks would be up. By then Kakashi would most certainly be in Kumogakure. Kushina had guessed this since she was giving Minato an extremely suspicious look.

He glanced at her and gave Kushina a small nod. Kushina scowled and increased her pace. She knew what he was planning. Minato was planning to act like a big hero and infiltrate Kumo on his own.

* * *

><p>After haggling with a sailor who did his utmost best to rip them off, stealing a map and one extremely stormy boat ride later Minato's team found themselves on the shores of Lightning Country in the early hours of the morning four days later.<p>

Obito was the first to leap off the boat and he landed face first onto the pebbly shore with a groan. Never in his life had he appreciated how firm dry land was.

"Never," he moaned, closing his eyes as the world span with nausea. "Never again."

There was a soft crunch beside him and someone placed a gentle hand on his back. "Here," Rin said and she handed him her canteen. "You need to drink lots of water to replace your lost liquids and have something to eat. It'll settle your stomach."

"Thanks Rin," Obito attempted a smile but it turned into more of a grimace. His stomach gave another lurch but this time Obito knew it had nothing to do with seasickness.

He took a swig from her canteen and handed to back to her. Rin straightened, her hand leaving Obito's back.

"Walk it off, Obito," Kushina jumped down next to Rin. "Walk if off."

Obito staggered upwards, his face ashen. Behind him, he heard a faint splash and Minato said from behind him, "Boat's been taken care of."

Obito turned to see a small storage toad give Minato a salute and it vanished with a puff of smoke. He shook his head. It was impossible to comprehend how a small toad could swallow a sailing boat and then spit it out on command.

"We should get moving," Minato said softly and he nodded towards the mountains towering above them.

It would be a lie to say Obito wasn't intimidated by the vast crevasses and tumbling scree slopes that descended into the ocean. The ridges running along the tops of the mountains were high up in the heavens, so much so they were shrouded by cloud. Somewhere in those mountains was Kumogakure.

"Because you have to make things difficult, Kakashi," Obito muttered darkly as they began to trudge towards the cliff face. "You just _had_ to get yourself kidnapped… Some genius you are."

"If you have enough energy to complain then shut up and walk faster," Kushina told him.

The rest of the day was spent in mostly silence, the journey too strenuous and their nerves too high to allow for the normal banter. Constantly Minato would stop them as he scouted ahead for any enemies. The terrain didn't help matters either. The jagged rocks and closed valleys were an opening for an ambush and the shaggy crags and open ledges at the top of the mountains left the team horribly exposed. Not to mention the weather was not on their side. The rocks were slick with ice and before Obito knew it his hands had grown numb from the bitter cold. On numerous occasions they stopped as Rin recast a technique to regulate their body temperature to prevent hyperthermia or frostbite. The gale force winds seemed intent on blasting them off the mountains. All Obito could think was that he was glad they had bought warmer clothes at the port before sailing off to Lightning Country and exchanged their regulation ninja sandals in favour of sturdy boots.

As night descended upon them and fog obscured the way, Minato made the decision to stop in a cave.

"No fire I'm afraid," Minato told them as Kushina placed barriers over the cave's entrance.

Obito nodded, throwing his backpack down and he peeled off his gloves. Rin sat down and she pulled out a small chakra light from her bag and set it down at the centre of the cave.

"I've placed three barriers," Kushina told them as she joined the group. "One to hide our chakra, another so it appears that the cave entrance doesn't exist and one to warm up the air. Minato's whacked on an illusion so hopefully no one will go anywhere near the area in the first place."

The team slowly peeled off their wet outer layers as the temperature steadily increased until the air was pleasantly warm. Once they'd eaten, Minato rolled out a map onto the floor.

"We're around twenty or so miles from Kumo," Minato said and he pointed to their position. "So tomorrow I want the team to split up into two groups. The first will be Obito and Rin with Kushina as captain. The second will be me on my own."

Obito restrained the urge to protest. After all Minato-sensei was the Yellow Flash, he should have some faith.

"Kushina," Minato said and his finger drew an arc around Kumo until he was pointing at a mountain in the south. "Our intel says that the main entrance to Kumo is in the south. I need you to make a distraction that'll buy me enough time to find Kakashi while I'm in the village. The distraction should be at a safe distance but close enough to worry the village."

"About ten miles or so then," Kushina nodded. Her face held an impassive professionalism but her eyes told a different story.

"That should do," Minato agreed. "Infiltrating Kumo may take a couple of days so wait for my signal before you initiate the diversion."

"How do you plan to infiltrate Kumo, sensei?" Rin asked.

Minato grinned and said, "The same way I returned the body of the Third Kazekage to Suna." There was a moment's silence as they waited for him to elaborate but Minato didn't bother. Clearly they were just going to have to trust him.

"Remember you can contact me via toad," Minato said, glancing at Obito. "If _anything_ happens I want you abandon the mission. Do you understand? Even if it means leaving me and Kakashi behind."

"But," Obito started.

"The value of teammates is indeed precious," Minato interrupted and his eyes had a cold steel to them. "However I do not want you dying needlessly. This is not a suicide mission, understand?"

Reluctantly, both Obito and Rin nodded.

Minato then glanced at Kushina and the two stared at each other for some time. The two seemed to be having a silent conversation. Minato leant forwards with his hand outstretched towards Kushina's cheek. Suddenly he stopped, his hand hanging in mid-air uselessly as if he had second thoughts. Kushina's eyes shone oddly in the dim light and she said in a stilted voice, "You'd better get some sleep. I'll be the first on watch."

Minato's hand fell to his side and his gaze dropped to his knees as Kushina moved away.

Utterly confused by their actions, Obito glanced at Rin. She was smiling sadly and her cheeks were flushed. Perhaps it was from the warm air? Unable to fathom what had just occurred, Obito lay back onto his bedroll. His goggles dug into his chest, so Obito pulled them off over his head and placed them by his backpack.

As he lay back down, he rolled onto his side and Obito stared at Rin who was lying next to him. She had her back to him and in the dim light Obito tried to count the different autumnal colours in her hair. Streaks of auburn, soft undertones of mahogany, hints of chocolate… Obito had found long ago that this was the best method to falling asleep. For three years he had missed Rin and her beautiful hair during the sleepless nights in his tent.

Soon Obito's eyelids grew heavy, worries for tomorrow slipped away and his dreams were filled with shades of autumn.

* * *

><p>It would be a lie to say the next time Kakashi woke up it was in a cell in Kumogakure. That was actually the fifth time. The second, third and fourth times were in random inns or in a forest. The routine was always the same. He was questioned by the Kumo nins, given a meal and then knocked out.<p>

As the White Fang's son cracked open his eyes for the fifth time he found himself lying in a bed, staring up at a stone ceiling. He blinked experimentally as his head slowly pounded with the beginnings of a headache.

Steadying his breathing, he decided to test out his body before he did anything. It had become a habit since he'd been captured. Kakashi wiggled his toes and then slowly flexed his calves. Next he shifted his legs slightly from side to side. His left arm stretched fine as Kakashi splayed his fingers.

"Huh… That's new," he muttered. His aching muscles groaned as Kakashi pulled himself up so his back was leaning against the cold metal railing of his bed.

Simple chakra suppressant manacles restrained his arms. Kakashi raised an eyebrow at his bound wrists. Not that he could do much with a crippled hand anyway. The makeshift splint that C had used was gone. Instead a cast encased his right arm and his fingers were trapped in a splint.

It was no wonder he felt so sluggish. His chakra system was usually exceptional, with chakra flowing through the channels like water and on command he could concentrate it to a certain part of his body with a fair degree of accuracy. Nothing on par with medic nins of course, however accurate enough it had made his peers go green with envy. With the manacles on, Kakashi's chakra flow was reduced to sludge. It was rather like having an extremely bad head cold. The sensation of his chakra system was blurred and fuzzy, the chakra refusing to move where he wanted.

Kakashi sighed and then noticed that the scarf was gone. Someone had changed his shirt so his mask was back in place. With the familiar material back over the lower half of his face Kakashi felt some of the tension ease away. Though Kakashi knew that they had confiscated the scarf so he wouldn't commit suicide. That was standard regulation after all. If you can't escape then you take your life and destroy your body.

Kakashi gazed around his surroundings, memorising every single indent in the walls. There were no windows and the metal door lacked a handle or keyhole. In the opposite corner of the room was a basic toilet. The cell was actually first-class to what Kakashi had been expecting. He had heard about the squalid conditions that prisoners were kept in. This room was relatively sanitary and he even had a bed with clean sheets.

He scanned the ceiling and immediately spotted a fish-eye lens in one of the corners. Kakashi gave the camera a nod and leant back against the railings. He sighed as he wondered what Kumo had in store for him. No doubt there'd be interrogation, probably followed by various experiments.

Kakashi shuddered. He could bite his tongue now… And it would all be over… After all death was better than betraying his village. He ran his tongue over his teeth as he thought about the shattered White Fang.

When Sakumo had died for the first couple of months, Kakashi had found himself imagining that his father's spirit resided within the blade. It was stupid and childish but sometimes fantasy was so much more comforting than reality. Every time the tanto glowed white with his chakra, Kakashi could feel his father supporting him.

Lately, the White Fang had represented more than just his father. The blade seemed to embody everyone who was important to him. Sakumo, Kushina, Minato-sensei, Rin, Obito… And even to some extent Gai and Anko who had become his friends. During those long nights in winter where Kakashi felt frozen from the world, he would unsheathe the White Fang and stare at his reflection. He never saw himself in the metal but always their smiling faces. Even towards the end where Kakashi knew Orochimaru was planning to kill him, hope had always resided within the blade.

As soon as the White Fang had shattered everything within Kakashi had died. Just like the forest in his dreams his soul seemed to be decaying. Imprisoned in the small cell, Kakashi realised that he had been stupid to feel isolated when he was younger. He had never been alone. Even in the worse times Kushina and Minato had been there.

Kakashi wanted to laugh at the irony. When the Kumo nins had saved his life his freedom still remained the same. He was still trapped and now he was well and truly alone.

With empty, deadened eyes Kakashi stared at his manacled hands. A good ninja wouldn't have second thoughts. They'd kill themselves and it didn't matter whether you died with honour. Slowly Kakashi slackened his jaw and slid his tongue between his teeth.

Suddenly a loud screeching as the cell door was pushed open caused Kakashi to flinch and his tongue retreated back. A large, hulking figure stood in the doorway.

"Don't make me put a muzzle on you," A growled as he entered the cell. The door slammed shut behind him with a resounding bang. A's form was so muscled and so large that he seemed to fill the entire room, causing Kakashi to subconsciously shrink back.

"Would it be a crime for me to follow the rules?" Kakashi asked.

"It's a crime that the White Fang's son no longer holds pride within himself," A told him.

Kakashi's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't expected that.

"You don't find many kids these days with your skill," A told him. "Someone like you should have more pride, not give up. I would have thought you'd have tried at least one escape attempt by now."

Kakashi's eyebrows shot up.

"I've never liked Konoha," A said to Kakashi, his eyes cold. "However there was no doubt that the White Fang was one of the greatest men alive. So as his son you shouldn't accept defeat so easily."

In dumb shock, Kakashi watched as A turned to place a hand on the door. With a small amount of his chakra, A opened the door leaving Kakashi in stunned silence.

* * *

><p>A strode out of the intelligence headquarters and down the street. Bitter New Year frost encrusted the buildings embedded high in mountains but as always A found the air invigorating. He frowned as he recalled Hatake Kakashi's dead eyes.<p>

It wasn't that A had taken a liking to the boy. He still had his reservations about him since the boy was from Konoha after all.

A stopped and stared upwards at the Hokage tower that rose up high into the heavens. The blue glass glowed azure in the sunlight and the mountains, far more majestic than the lowly fells in Waterfall Country, soared up into the sky as they cradled the village.

Slowly A began to recall the conversation he had with his father a few days ago.

"_The White Fang's son?" The Third Raikage leant back in his chair._

"_Yes," A nodded._

"_Ha," the Raikage clapped his hands together. "Excellent. Already made the arrangements then?"_

"_Of course," A said._

_The Raikage stroked his beard thoughtfully and said, "Is he his father's son?"_

"_He has potential," A shrugged. "But the kid is screwed up, what with his father dying and some Konoha higher up trying to kill him. It's in the report."_

_A threw C's carefully handwritten report on the desk. C's reports were always the best and the most legible. A's writing was awful and he hated writing the goddamn things anyway. Darui's reports were pathetic, dull, lazy pieces of work that were usually composed of one sentence. Out of the team C's reports were by far the most reliable._

"_I see," The Raikage nodded. "Sakumo was a strange one too… Never quite met a ninja like him."_

_A paused, waiting for his father to continue. He knew how much the old man liked to ramble. Then again his rambling was usually about great ninjas. Ones that people whispered about in awe and their names were remembered throughout history. The Raikage didn't waste his time over nobodies who lacked talent. Both A and his father shared the same respect towards ninja of great skill._

"_Back before Hatake earned his name," the Raikage said. "He used to be an ambassador for Kumo… Good man, not up his arse like the rest of the Konoha bunch. Treated every person, including our people, fairly. You don't find many ninja like that around. Despite the fact he was a beast in battle he wasn't a sadist like some. No… That man knew the meaning of honour."_

"_Make sure we have our very best in placing the seal," the Third told his son. "Future generations are usually better than previous ones… So I have very high expectations for the White Fang's son."_

A was jerked away from his thoughts as he saw C walking out of the intelligence building, carrying a stack of scrolls.

"Preparations almost complete?" He called as C approached.

"Should be ready by tomorrow," C nodded. "Good news too from Darui. They've managed to repair the White Fang… Though apparently there have been some… Adjustments to the new model."

"Look forward to it," A grunted and he meant it.

By tomorrow evening everything would be set in motion. Once the seal was in place Kakashi would be Kumo's and his memories of his home village, Konoha, would be erased.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hi, I hope you're all well. I'm really sorry for the delay. At the moment I'm still away from home and next week there won't be an update as it'll be even harder for me to find somewhere with internet – I'm going to be somewhere in Europe. Anyway I hope you liked the chapter. Thank you for reading this so far, really I do appreciate it :) So thank you to all of you who've followed and faved this, also big thank you to those of you who've reviewed. If you've raised any points/questions in your review, don't worry I'm not ignoring you! I will reply once I have more time, probably when I get back home :) When I get back update speed should hopefully be back to normal.**


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

_Who am I?_

_ The question leapt up unbidden in Kakashi's mind. He gazed around at the dead trees surrounding him. The decaying leaves beneath his feet were encrusted with frost and the grey bark was bejewelled with ice. Despite the fact that the branches were bare, Kakashi couldn't see the sky. The forest was trapped in a frozen void and Kakashi was encased within the icy trees. From the darkness above him snow fell turning his silver hair white._

_ Subconsciously, Kakashi reached over his shoulder but his hand merely grasped thin air. His arm dropped to his side and Kakashi frowned. Something… Something was missing. His shoulder felt strangely light… He knew that something used to be strapped over his shoulder but what?_

_ "What was it again?" Kakashi whispered into the cold air. Confused, the feeling slipped away. Instead, Kakashi tilted his face upwards allowing the snow to caress his cheeks. _

_Peaceful bemusement crossed his features and he touched his lips. Why did his face feel so bare? He ran a finger along his lower lip, pulling at it slightly. Did something used to cover his face?_

_ No. Kakashi shook his head and pushed aside the thought. _

_ With serene steps Kakashi drifted through the trees. In the distance he could hear voices right on the very edge of his senses. So close but no matter how much he strained his ears the words simply washed over him in one tranquil blur._

_ His journey led him to a small clearing where Kakashi found what would have once been an oak of breath-taking height, now hideously mauled from a blaze. Bizarre paraphernalia hung from charred branches. _

_A rag, faded from lost love waved at him. Hanging high above Kakashi's head he saw something glimmer. What was it? A kunai? He frowned at the weapon's weird shape and rusted metal. Kakashi had no idea what the weapon was supposed to be. Then he spotted a small box wedged in between two branches but he soon lost interest and his gaze fixed on a pair of old goggles hanging from a branch._

_ Kakashi didn't like looking at the items. For some reason it caused his chest to ache and the voices grew louder until his mind was filled with an angry buzzing. The sheer shock caused him to clap his hands over his ears. His legs buckled and Kakashi's knees slammed into the snow._

_ The damp seeped through his clothes but somehow the feeling soothed Kakashi. His hands dropped and he stared up at the tree. As the snow fell onto the oak the bark seemed to heal. The burnt wood merged with the snow until it transformed into a tree of ice. The twisted branches held a wondrous beauty. The frozen surface gleamed as it held hope of a new life and new beginnings. Frost adorned the ice and Kakashi thought it gave the tree a whole new level of majesty._

_The items didn't seem to think so. The rag had lost of it's colour and it turned as bleak as the forest. The goggles' visor shattered, the box was buried under snow and the weapon splintered._

_ The voices tone changed. The buzzing transformed into forlorn whispers, so mournful, so lost that Kakashi could feel his eyes water though he had no idea why. The wind now carried delicate sobs, the crying as soft as the snow beneath him until the sound faded away._

_ Who am I?_

_ This time Kakashi didn't question the thought. He embraced it._

_ The boy collapsed into the snow and he closed his eyes. This time the snow wasn't cold. No instead it provided calming warmth, an anaesthetic to the unease he had felt earlier. Slowly as each flake coated the boy he was tranquilised and the world slipped away._

_ Who am I?_

_ All memory of his identity vanished until the boy couldn't even remember his name. A smile graced the boy's mouth as the snowflakes kissed his lips._

_ Who am I?_

_ The very question began to fade from the boy's mind. Blissful apathy soaked into his bones and stained his very soul. Suddenly those three words were gone and the boy found that he didn't even care. All that was left was wonderful silence._

* * *

><p>"The seal's complete," C told A.<p>

Kakashi's last meal had contained sedatives instantly rendering the White Fang's son unconscious. The sedatives were designed for the boy to enter REM sleep state; Kumo had discovered it was easier to enter a person's mind when they were dreaming. Of course if they had a clan such as Konoha's Yamanaka it would make the process a lot easier, however Kumo had developed their own method with a specialised team.

C wiped the sweat from his brow, thoroughly exhausted. Sealing a person's memories away was a delicate and lengthy process especially for someone as young as Kakashi. Messing around with a person's head could lead to insanity since the mind sometimes created false memories to replace the old ones. Kumo took great lengths to avoid this and had spent years perfecting the sealing process. The pressure on the team had been even greater since the Raikage himself had been there to oversee the sealing. No wonder everyone had worked seamlessly this time.

"Fully suppressed?" The Raikage asked.

"Yes," C nodded.

"Keep me up to date with his progress," The Third told both C and A. "I need to go and see what Darui has done with the white chakra sabre." With that the Raikage strode off.

C glanced over at Kakashi who was lying on a metal table in one of the many rooms in the Intelligence Headquarters. Members from the sealing team were lifting him onto a stretcher, ready to move the boy to a hospital room. Another part of the Raikage's scheme for the boy to feel welcome as possible. Once in hospital a squad of medics will work on Kakashi's remaining injuries so no trace of his clash with Kumo would be left on the boy's body. All of this was to ensure the seal would remain secure.

For a moment C wondered if Konoha would miss the White Fang's son. Certainly they thought he was dead and the initial loss would be tragic for the village, but would anyone miss him? Would anyone mourn the death of Hatake Kakashi and not the death of the White Fang's son? After all it appeared the boy already had enemies if someone from his village wanted him dead. Did the boy have anyone else?

C shook his head. No… The boy's isolation had made the sealing process far too easy.

"Darui is going to be the one who will greet the boy when he wakes," A told C as they followed the medics out of the room.

C nodded. His senpai who was four years his senior, was a good choice. Darui's easy- going personality would make Kakashi feel at ease in his new environment. Unlike a lot of Kumo ninja Darui didn't appear to have any enmity against Konoha. It just wasn't in his blood to hold grudges so he was perfect to giving Kakashi fair treatment.

"The old man is going to tell Darui now," A said. "He's planning for Darui to be boy's guardian and later on he'll be his sensei."

"Good choice," C said. Darui was one of Kumo's best upcoming ninja since the Raikage himself was currently training him. Not to mention his swordsmanship was on par with B's.

A small, evil smile spread across C's face. Darui usually tried to do things with a minimum amount of effort and he usually left C to do a lot of things on missions. C wanted to laugh as he tried to imagine Darui as a jonin instructor. For once in his life Kumo's lazy prodigy would actually have to do some work.

* * *

><p>When the boy opened his eyes the first thought that struck him was how peaceful he felt. It was the same feeling you had after a long, hot shower. All the heartache had been washed away and all of his burdens had been lifted from his shoulders.<p>

He stared up white washed ceiling and stretched his limbs beneath the soft, crisp sheets.

_Where am I? _He thought. Slowly the boy tilted his head to see that the walls were painted a refreshing cream colour. Warm sunlight poured in from a window to his right and the boy could see that the sky, which was the same shade as a robin's egg, was streaked with rolling white clouds. In the background he could hear the slow steady beep of the ECG machine, telling him that he was in a hospital.

A hospital… He frowned trying to remember how he had got there. Had he been injured? The boy felt perfectly fine. The frowned increased as he racked his mind but all he found nothing.

Suddenly the boy sat up and the blood rush to his head caused the room to spin. He couldn't remember anything… Where he was… How he had got there… Not even his name.

Breathing hard, the boy ran a stiff hand down his bare face.

"Woah," a languid voice drawled. "Take it easy."

The boy glanced up to see a man lounging in a chair at the foot of his bed. From beneath his blonde mop of hair the man offered the boy a slow smile.

"Where am I?" The boy asked and he blinked in surprise. His voice… It sounded so strange. It wasn't unfamiliar… But it wasn't familiar either. His voice sounded like one that belonged to an acquaintance he had met long ago.

"Kumogakure hospital," the man told him.

Several facts flew through the boy's mind. Kumogakure: a hidden village in the Land of Lightning and militaristic nation. All of this he knew yet he had no idea how it connected to him.

"How did I get here?" He asked.

"You were betrayed by your own village," the man told him. "Our people saved you and took you in. You're very lucky, you would have been dead if we hadn't found you."

Suddenly a pair yellow eyes flashed through the boy's mind and he found himself shivering. Somehow everything that the man had said rang true to the boy.

"Village?" The boy mumbled. "Wait does that mean-"

"Yes you're a ninja from another village," a sparkle of amusement flashed through the man's eyes.

That explained why his mind was constantly analysing the situation. A pang of frustration shot through the boy. He had no idea what rank he was nor did he know what his repertoire of techniques was.

"Can you remember which village?" The man asked him. His eyes softened slightly showing the boy that he meant no harm.

"I can't remember anything," he muttered.

"To be expected," the man nodded. "You were almost dead when we found you and you've been unconscious for weeks. Can you remember your name?"

Again the boy shook his head and he felt slightly embarrassed.

"It's Kakashi," the man told him. "At least that's what you told us when we found you. I'm Darui by the way."

"Kakashi…" The boy rolled the name around his mouth experimentally. A strange name yet the sound was comforting to the boy's ears.

Then… Slowly an image of a training scarecrow standing alone in a sunlit yard filled the boy's mind but when he tried to grasp the memory it slipped away. Next the memory of doodled of henohenomoheji in the margin of an exercise book flashed through his head but that too vanished.

Kakashi… Yes… Somehow the boy knew that was his name.

Darui was watching him carefully so Kakashi decided not to mention the two precious memories that had appeared.

"The doctors want to do some more checks on you," Darui told him. "Nothing too big. In the evening you'll probably be discharged. I'll come and pick you up then we'll find somewhere for you to stay."

Kakashi nodded. It appeared that Kumo didn't intend to keep him as a prisoner; after all he was in a normal hospital room rather than a cell.

Darui gave him a slow smile and said, "Relax. We wouldn't have gone through all the hassle of saving you if we killed you now. You're safe here."

Instantly Kakashi felt some tension ease from his body. Safe. How was it that he had to be told his name yet he somehow knew that he hadn't heard that word in such a long time?

True to Darui's word, for the rest of the day several different doctors visited Kakashi. It was bizarre. Despite the fact he was a foreigner the medical staff treated him like he was regular Kumo patient. He underwent a health check where everything was fine and Kakashi found out that his reactions were exceptional. Then another rather slow bespectacled doctor gave Kakashi a test.

The exam was a breeze for Kakashi. He found the maths and physics questions mind numbingly easy. When it came to the questions about chakra Kakashi found that the answers were second nature to him. He finished the test an hour early and was rather offended when the surprised doctor asked him if he wanted to check his paper again. It was then Kakashi realised that his intelligence was far above average.

However when it came to the third doctor's questions Kakashi found that he had hit a dead end. He couldn't answer any of them. It was ironic that he found algebra effortless yet he found it impossible to recall any information about himself. It was as if there was a giant void where his identity used to be. Kakashi couldn't remember his birthday or how old he was. His surname escaped him and he had no idea who his parents were. Kakashi couldn't recall what village he was from, whether he had any friends or if he'd even kissed a girl.

The whole interview had been utterly excruciating and when Kakashi had finally been discharged at seven in the evening he was all too glad.

The air outside was bitterly cold and lamps embedded in the rocky cliffs lit the way as Darui and Kakashi left the hospital. Couples out for a romantic evening strolled past them. Groups of laughing ninja loitered outside bars and Kakashi could feel people staring at him.

"Before we find you somewhere to stay," Darui said. "The Raikage wants to see you first."

Kakashi nodded. It made sense. After all the Raikage would want a foreign ninja to be watched.

"It'll be fine," Darui assured him. "The Raikage is just curious that's all. As long as you're polite you'll be fine."

Not particularly feeling reassured about meeting one of the most powerful men in the whole of the great five nations, Kakashi simply followed Darui.

"Right," Kakashi nodded. They began to walk up a long flight of stairs that was carved into the cliff face that ran along the street. Kumo, it appeared, was made of different levels in the mountains. Buildings were carved into the rock and some were perched precariously on ledges. Others rose high up into the clouds such as the Raikage tower.

Kakashi craned his neck up at the glass building that was shrouded by cloud. The veil of water vapour surrounding the tower provided an even greater sense mystery. Flats had been built into the side of the mountain and azure windows glowed in the darkness as they overlooked the cliff face. Kakashi glanced over the edge to see a myriad of streets and closed stalls below him.

It took them a good fifteen minutes to make it to the Raikage tower. The lobby was nice enough, with a potted plant and a pretty receptionist. A squad of jonin were huddled in one corner as they studied a scroll, while a team of genin accompanied by their world-weary jonin instructor pushed past Darui and Kakashi. For a moment Kakashi couldn't help but glance over his shoulder back at the genin team. The banter between the two boys… The girl's giggling and their sensei's constant groans… He found their interactions strangely fascinating.

Kakashi wondered if he had a team back home… Wherever that was.

His village had betrayed him… That's what Darui said… But was there someone who missed him? Kakashi shook his head. No… If what Darui said was true then there would be no one.

He was a missing-nin. The thought left a bitter taste in Kakashi's mouth. Though he had no idea what type of person he was, the thought of being an outcast didn't sit well with him.

Darui and Kakashi walked down a corridor and chunins walked past carrying folder as they moaned about the amount of paperwork they'd been given. Several people nodded or waved at Darui as they passed. Others stared at Kakashi with open curiosity.

Finally they made it to a large oak door. With a lazy flick of his wrist Darui rapped a knuckle against the wood and without further ado he opened the door.

In the large, semi-circle office sat the Third Raikage. He was a large, imposing man who seemed to be composed of entirely muscle. The Raikage robes slung carelessly over his shoulders looked rather odd on such an intimidating man.

"Ah," the Raikage said as he sat in his chair. "You must be Kakashi."

Remembering Darui's words Kakashi nodded, "Yes Raikage-sama."

The Third leant back in his chair and surveyed Kakashi. "How're you feeling?" He asked him, his voice adopting a slightly kinder tone.

Kakashi shifted on his feet and said, "I'm fine, thank you… I'm just-"

"Suffering from amnesia," The Raikage finished. "That's what our medics told us. We definitely know you're telling the truth and that this is not induced by any kind of technique. Your memory loss is genuine."

Kakashi's shoulders sagged with relief. They believed him. At least he knew that Kumo didn't view him as a possible threat. An amnesiac ninja was of no use when they couldn't remember what village what they came from let alone any valuable information. Kakashi had been afraid that they might have dragged him in for interrogation.

"The problem is that most amnesiacs only recover a small portion of their memories," The Raikage told him. "And in some cases none at all."

Kakashi nodded and he stared at his toes. Memories… Experience… Those were the things that developed and made who you are. Without those, Kakashi was nothing more than an empty shell. For a moment Kakashi wanted to laugh. He had no attachments or sentiments. He was the perfect ninja.

"You are free to leave the village," the Raikage told him, taking Kakashi by surprise. "Whenever you want to leave just notify me and I'll send someone to guide you out of the Lightning Country. It's dangerous to be travelling on your own, what with the war going on."

Kakashi suddenly jerked. The war. Instantly the sounds of screams filled Kakashi's mind and the memory of an outpost far away where the streets ran red with blood. Horrified by the memory he flinched.

The Raikage frowned and asked, "Is there something wrong?"

"… No," Kakashi clenched his shaking hands. "I'm… I'm fine."

From next to Kakashi Darui placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"You remembered something from the war," Darui said as he removed his hand.

Kakashi stared resolutely at his black sandals that he'd been given from the hospital. "Is it that obvious?" He said to his feet.

"It screws us all up," Darui shrugged.

For a moment he wondered what part he had to play in the war. Darui had told him that Iwa and Konoha were still at war. Suna had drawn up a treaty with Konoha last month after their Kazekage had been found. Kumo was having the occasional skirmishes against Konoha. Kusagakure had a strong alliance with Konoha and they were fighting Iwa in their own country. Though Takigakure had the occasional clash with Konoha they too were driving Iwa from their country. Both Ame and Kiri had isolated themselves.

_I could be from anyone of those villages, _Kakashi thought with a frown. Well at least he knew he wasn't from Kiri or Ame if they were isolated. Perhaps he could narrow it down from his looks and accent.

Suddenly Kakashi's eyes widened as realisation struck him.

"What's a matter?" Darui raised an eyebrow. "Remember something else?"

Kakashi shook his head and the tips of his ears turned red with embarrassment. The two men stared at him curiously but thankfully didn't press the matter.

_I can't believe I didn't think of it earlier, _Kakashi thought feeling faintly mortified. _I have no idea what I look like._

How old was he? Instinctively Kakashi knew he wasn't old. Judging by the fact his voice was on the cusp of adolescence and that he was small and slight, most probably in his early teens.

Kakashi resisted the urge to run a hand over his face to check for warts. He found that he didn't care if he wasn't overly handsome… It would just be nice if he weren't hideous.

"What date is it?" Kakashi asked in the attempt to take his mind off the turmoil that was going on inside him.

"10th January 773," the Raikage answered.

"When and where did you find me?" He said. Kakashi wanted have a general idea of what had happened to him. He knew he wasn't from around here that was clear from his accent.

"Couple of weeks ago," Darui shrugged. "Not sure what country it was in… Probably either in Grass or Rain? Kind of hard to tell with the war going on…"

There it was again. The war. Kakashi couldn't believe that when he'd woken up he had no idea that the Third ninja world war was going on.

Darui's answer was extremely vague but then again, Kakashi had a feeling that Darui was just a very vague person.

Suddenly a wave of exhaustion swept of Kakashi. There was so much he didn't know. So much that was missing. He didn't even know where to start.

"You're tired," the Raikage stated. "Get some sleep. You'll be staying with Darui as it isn't safe for a young amnesiac to be staying on their own in a foreign country."

"Yes," Kakashi murmured. "Thank you Raikage-sama."

Darui and Kakashi turned to leave the office when the Raikage suddenly called, "Kakashi."

Kakashi stopped at the open door and glanced over his shoulder.

"Your amnesia is most likely caused by an emotional trauma," the Raikage told him. "The mind erases things that it wants to forget… Trying to recall those memories may damage your mind."

Kakashi nodded and with the Raikage's warning fresh in his head, Darui and he left the office.

Later on that evening, Kakashi stood in Darui's bathroom dressed in pyjamas supplied by the hospital. Having finished brushing his teeth, another gift from the hospital, he studied his reflection in the cracked mirror above the sink.

Straight nose. Angular features and even sharper cheekbones.

Kakashi tugged at his lower lip, relieved that he didn't have buckteeth. He'd been blessed with a good complexion too, not a single spot or blemish staining his pale skin.

He looked a lot younger than he had expected. Kakashi thought he was a fifteen year old who just hadn't hit his growth spurt yet. However his reflection told a different story.

Kakashi guessed he couldn't be more than thirteen years old.

_What kind of a village would want to kill a thirteen year old?_ He thought. Definitely not a village that he'd want to return to… Kakashi sighed as he tugged at his fringe.

Silver hair… Kakashi hadn't been expecting that. That ruled out Suna then since nearly everyone there was either blonde or brown, with the occasional splash of red. Kakashi had seen some of the people in Kumo with silver hair. However their hair had streaks of strawberry blonde. Kakashi's hair was a shade closer to iron. Absent-mindedly Kakashi turned the tap and wet his hand. Then he attempted to flatten his hair. However no matter how much water he put on his hair it immediately sprang back up. It seemed that he was just cursed with naturally chaotic hair.

Well at least the rare colour would help narrow down his search of which country he came from… Perhaps he was from one of the minor villages.

Kakashi gripped the rim of the sink and his knuckles whitened as he remembered the Raikage's warning.

So many emotions were churning inside him. Confusion… Frustration… Anger… What had he done to warrant an execution? He was barely a teenager, how much damage could he do?

Kakashi stared into his grey irises. He had hoped that a memory would surface when he saw his appearance but nothing had risen.

_I wonder who I look like more… _Kakashi thought. _My mother or father?_

Tearing himself away, Kakashi turned off the light and exited the bathroom.

Like Darui, the flat held a vague disorganisation to it. In the adjoining kitchen to his living room the table was heaving with scrolls and textbooks. Broken kunai littered his kitchen countertops along with unwashed dishes.

"Yeah…" Darui scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry about the mess… Here I'll show you your room."

"Spare room," Darui grunted as he opened the door and turned on the light. It was obvious that Darui kept this room as a storage room with the various sheathed swords in the corner. Kakashi cast an interested glance at the piles of books in a shelf. Darui hadn't struck him as the reading type but the books told him otherwise.

Surprisingly the bed had been already made though the sheets were severely creased. Clearly Darui needed to be tutored in the ways of ironing.

"Get some sleep," Darui advised. "You look like the type who'd stay up all night thinking… I doubt that'll help. You have to look to the future to find what you're looking for."

Darui left Kakashi, closing the door behind him.

Kakashi turned off the light and flopped, face first onto the bed. He screwed his eyes shut in the attempt to blot out the confusion racing through his mind. Every time he tried to remember something it just caused his head to pound. Maybe the Raikage was right. Maybe it would damage his mind.

Kakashi slipped underneath the duvet and in that moment he made a decision. Kumo was a nice enough place and both Darui and the Raikage appeared to fair people. He knew it was suicide to leave now if a war was going on. Especially since it appeared that Kakashi didn't have a village.

_I'll stay,_ Kakashi decided as warm sleep began to take over. _I'll stay… Until I recover my memories…_

Sadly, Kakashi had no idea that this decision was exactly the decision that Kumo had been hoping for. As, with any luck, if the Raikage's plan succeeded then his memories would remain lost forever.

* * *

><p>Minato lay on his belly screened by rock. Unbeknownst to him today was the day after his student's mind had been wiped.<p>

After Minato had left the rest of the team yesterday he had negotiated his way through the labyrinthine rock to find Kumo. For the rest of the day and for most of last night he had watched one of Kumo's side entrances to the village.

Minato knew that the village would have a protective barrier that would instantly alert Kumo's ANBU if any intruder were to sneak in. Not only that but he would have to find Kakashi in one of the most notoriously confusing villages. Kumo was a maze of houses embedded in the mountains and it was be highly difficult to travel through the village undetected. Most ninja would say that this mission was impossible. What those ninja hadn't taken into account however was that Minato was Konoha's Yellow Flash. Making the impossible possible was his speciality.

Mind you, this was a lot harder than when he had literally waltzed in Suna and delivered the Kazekage's body along with his killer's. All he had done was slap a tag on some poor unsuspecting ninja. Then when the chunin had visited the jonin council Minato had activated hiraishin and had materialised on top of the chunin before the council with the bodies, causing complete and utter chaos.

Of course, Kumo wasn't desperate like Suna and he had no way of negotiating with them. Instead last night Minato had managed to place a tag on a Kumo sentry. Now all he had to do was wait for the right moment to activate his technique.

Not wanting to waste chakra he had only three of his seals activated. One was on Kushina however she was now far out of range. The other was on the rock that he was hiding behind.

Minato was now fully focused on the Kumo sentry. The man had left his post at around one in the morning so now, six hours later, Minato felt it was safe to move.

Minato closed his eyes and allowed his body to relax. Hiraishin had taken years to perfect and when he was younger Minato had almost fallen off a cliff when he was practicing the technique. Now having used it so much during the war it had become second nature to him. Slowly his mind became more and more aware of the seal. Like a person tuning in to a radio station the Kumo's sentry position was becoming clearer to Minato.

The exact position of where the Kumo sleeping in his small flat in Kumo was revealed to him. Satisfied, Minato pulled out a small vial that Rin had given him yesterday from a pocket. He poured the contents of the vial onto a handkerchief. Then… Drawing in a deep breath he activated hiraishin.

In an instant Minato landed on top on the Kumo sentry who'd been asleep in his bed. The man's eyes flashed open but before he could even react Minato slammed the cloth of his mouth.

"Sleep," Minato whispered as the sentry's eyes rolled back. "And forget that I was ever here."

Then Minato gently closed the unconscious man's eyes and he rolled off the bed. The sentry would be unconscious for a good two hours and when he woke up he would have no recollection of what had happened. Rin really was becoming quite the medical prodigy.

After a quick rummage in the man's closet Minato located all the clothes he needed to disguise himself as a Kumo ninja. Blonde hair was extremely common in Kumo and with his golden locks he'd blend right in. Though sky blue eyes were a rarity from what Minato had heard but he didn't plan on staring at people.

Minato gathered a black, long sleeved Kumo shirt and regulation ninja pants. He grabbed the man's forehead protector from his bedside table then strolled out of the bedroom. Casually, as if he owned the flat, Minato walked into the bathroom.

He sighed as he dropped the clothes onto the toilet seat and studied the Kumo sentry's shampoo. Typical. It was just Minato's luck to find a rookie who didn't use odourless toiletries. Nevertheless Minato shed his clothing and stepped into the shower.

It wasn't that he had made a habit of showering when he was halfway through infiltrating dangerous villages. It was just that Minato wanted to wash away any odours that may reveal that he was an outsider. He picked up a shower gel that declared in luminous letters that it was most definitely for men and doused himself with it. With any luck any trace of his own personal scent would be masked. If Kumo wanted to track him then all they had to do was follow the whiff of refreshing citrus fruits.

After washing himself, Minato grabbed a towel from the side and dried his hair so he resembled a bedraggled hedgehog.

As he dressed in his Kumo attire, Minato sighed once more. The man was not only a rookie but also a rookie who was a good half a foot taller than him. So wearing the man's underwear was out of the question… Anyway Minato wasn't a briefs kind of guy. Instead he kept his boxers, hoping they didn't smell too much. He was also forced to roll up the shirtsleeves and pants.

Knowing the man's sandals would be too big for him Minato scraped off most of the mud from his boots with a sponge he'd found on the side. After emptying the pockets of his own clothes of scrolls, tags, smoke bombs, ninja wire and shruiken he threw the clothes into the bath along with the sponge. It took several minutes for Minato to place all of the items into the pockets of his Kumo attire and attach his weapons pouch as well as kunai holster. Once finished Minato pulled out a small tag and threw it into the bath, forming a seal.

Instantly, the clothes burst into flames and in a matter of moments all that was left in the tub was a pile of ash. Minato washed the ash down the drain and finally he firmly tied the forehead protector around his forehead.

With a glance in the mirror, Minato was satisfied that he looked like a regular Kumo nin. Stuffing one of his soldier pills into his mouth, he decided it was time to head out.

For a moment Minato leant against the front door, listening for any movement. Then… He opened the door and strolled out of the flat. Just as Minato was about to walk off however he heard someone call, "Hey!"

Minato forced his body to remain relaxed. Any suspicious actions could blow his cover. Instead Minato casually turned to see a tall black young woman run up to him. She was pretty enough with striking cheekbones and friendly amber eyes, probably around the same age as Minato so in her early to mid twenties. She was nothing compared to Kushina however.

Inwardly, Minato sighed. It suddenly struck him as incredibly sad that he compared every single woman he saw with Kushina, especially since Kushina wasn't even his girlfriend.

"So," She gave him a conspiratorial wink. "You're the one."

For one horrible second Minato thought she knew who he was then he suddenly caught onto why she kept winking at him.

"You're Masumi's new friend," she said. "I've been wanting to meet you since you two have been keeping everyone awake at night."

Minato's eyes widened and he let out a splutter. "Ah right," he laughed weakly. "… Sorry about that."

The woman giggled and her grin widened. "Don't worry about it… It sounded like you were… Having fun," She added all too innocently. "Ahh and you're wearing his shirt… So cute!"

Minato's face turned a shade darker and he found it hard not to choke on his own spit. If he were Jiraiya-sensei he'd be hamming this all up with some ridiculous tale or over exaggerated acting. Luckily for Minato, however, his embarrassment was genuine though for an entirely different reason. The woman was also far too happy at meeting her tenant's night time 'visitor' to notice anything.

"Masumi's so lucky," She said as she unashamedly ran her eyes up and down Minato's body. "You're a real catch."

"Shame…" She sighed. "Looks like it's true about what people say about good looking men… Be good to Masumi. He's a nice tenant. Anyway I need to go and see if that lazy arse Darui has his rent. See you later!"

She waggled her fingers at him then headed towards the stairs that led to the floor above. After the woman was out of sight Minato let out a sigh of relief and continued on his way, walking down the steps that would lead him into the main town.

Unfortunately, little did Minato know that with every step he was walking further and further away from his goal. As his student happened to be staying only a few rooms away on the floor above him.

* * *

><p>Darui stood in his doorway, looking decidedly more dishevelled than he usually did which was an impressive feat. With bleary eyes he stared at his landlady, Katsumi. Just being around the woman was exhausting. Certainly, Darui found her easy on the eyes… But that woman didn't half <em>talk<em> sometimes.

"And your rent is two weeks overdue," Katsumi ranted. "I don't care if you've been on a mission or if you're some prodigy or even if that Raikage and his son loves you. This has been the fifth time. You know some of us have to make a living and I swear if you're late again I'll-"

Darui tuned her out. As a jonin it wasn't as if he couldn't pay her. The problem was that Darui had the hopeless curse of disorganisation. Truth be told… He normally just forgot to pay her. Occasionally Katsumi had asked him out on a date as compensation, Darui however had just paid her and shut the door in her face. The woman simply wasn't his type and in all honesty he didn't really fancy dating a woman who was five years older than him... Let alone his landlady. Not to mention the fact that Darui was only nineteen. It really wasn't worth the hassle. Luckily Katsumi usually forgot about his rejections and soon went off to harass some other poor male.

"… It's your last chance," Katsumi informed him. "And-"

Suddenly she stopped in mid sentence. Darui raised a hopeful eyebrow then inwardly cursed as he saw Katsumi peering around him.

"What," Katsumi said. "Is that?"

Darui turned, following her gaze to see Kakashi sitting at the kitchen table as he quietly munched his bowl of cereal. The boy continued to eat though it pretty obvious he could hear her perfectly.

"He's so cute," Katsumi smiled as if Kakashi was some kind of kitten or puppy. "Where'd you find him?"

"Down at the pet shop," Darui answered dryly.

Katsumi glared at Darui but she soon dissolved into a pile of womanly gloop as she looked back at Kakashi.

"He's going to have to fight off women when he grows up," Katsumi observed with a smile. "I wouldn't be surprised if he has fan girls already."

Inwardly, Darui groaned. The Raikage had told him to make sure Kakashi keeps a low profile. They didn't want the boy to be overwhelmed. However, at this rate, with his exotic looks Kakashi would attract every single female in Kumo.

_Maybe it would've been better if he had kept the mask, _Darui thought ruefully.

Grabbing his checkbook from a drawer nearby, he scrawled out this month's rent and shoved it into Katsumi's hands in the hope that the woman would go away.

Immediately, the check vanished down the woman's top. "Did you know," she said finally dragging her gaze away from Kakashi. "I met Masumi's boyfriend just a few moments ago. Now usually I prefer guys with more muscles, y'know real manly men, but this guy was absolutely _gorgeous_. Blonde hair and the most _amazingly _blue eyes and-"

Masumi… Masumi… Darui racked his brain for a moment. Then he recalled the friendly guy on the floor below. Masumi and his mysterious boyfriend were the reason Darui had taken to wearing earplugs at night. Darui made a mental note to buy some earplugs for Kakashi since the boy was likely to have keen hearing too. That kid was far too young to be hearing _those_ kinds of noises.

For a moment Darui frowned. In the early hours this morning he had felt a strange burst of chakra from the floor below, coming from the direction of Masumi's apartment. Perhaps he should investigate later.

"That's nice," Darui said, though in reality he really couldn't care less.

Katsumi continued to rabbit on about how all the good-looking men in Kumo were taken. Darui inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. Looks like Katsumi no longer considered him handsome anymore.

"So how long is your friend staying for?" Katsumi suddenly asked.

_For as long as it takes for him to feel at home in Kumo, _Darui thought. Instead he just gave Katsumi a shrug.

"Well you'll have to pay his rent too," Katsumi told him. "Not unless the kid is a genin then use his wages."

"Right," Darui gave a long, suffering groan. He may be a jonin but at this rate he was going to be broke after paying for Kakashi's meals and clothes.

"And you better look after him," Katsumi said. "He doesn't look like a relative so he must be your student… Don't know what the Raikage was thinking giving _you _a student. Make sure he eats his greens."

"Got it," Darui nodded. He knew all too well how much responsibility he held…

_ "Beautiful," the Raikage held the blade aloft. The man was more of a taijutsu person but he still knew a good sword when he saw one. "Perfectly balanced… The workmanship is outstanding. Remind me to give our master weapon smith a raise."_

_ Darui knew that Kakashi wasn't a boy with a large ego so he had opted for the blade to have a simple design. The scabbard was a simple black and the hilt bound with red thread. Most swords that had hand guards had the family crest engraved into the wood. That of course had been out of the question in Kakashi's case and the old Hatake hand guard from the White Fang had been discarded. Instead, a snarling wolf running through rolling clouds had been carved into the mahogany wood._

_ However it was the actual metal of the weapon that would make any weapons specialist drool. The famed white blade was gone. The metal was now a mysterious grey with hues of misty blue._

_ "Interesting choice that you opted to forge the blade into a kodachi," the Raikage said._

_ "Yeah," Darui scratched the back of his head. "A kodachi is better for all round use. With a tanto you're limited to close combat and Kakashi lacks the necessary strength at the moment."_

_ "Good thinking," the Raikage nodded. _

_ "The kodachi contains all of the pieces we found from the White Fang," Darui told him. "We melted that down and then mixed it together with metal specifically designed to enhance Lightning chakra."_

_ Since most ninja in Kumo had lightning affinity. It was also a village that specialised in weaponry so most swords from the village were forged from this metal. It had been a stroke of luck that Kakashi also had lightning chakra._

_ "So the blade is now twice as deadly," the Raikage said. "We'll give it to Kakashi once he becomes a Kumo ninja, hopefully that will be next year… Shame we can't see it in action sooner."_

_ The Raikage sheathed the blade then placed it on his desk. It would remain in his possession until they knew Kakashi had been well and truly integrated into Kumo._

_ "Darui," the Third said as he sat back down at his desk. "I would like you to be Kakashi's guardian and later his sensei."_

_ Darui blinked. Hard. He'd expecting that someone like A would be entrusted with Kakashi. Certainly not him._

_ "Your skills would are perfect for someone to train the White Fang's son," the Third said, ignoring Darui's disbelief. "Admittedly you are younger than I would have liked however what is most important is that I trust you both as my student and as a friend of A's. Just go with your instincts."_

_ "Right," Darui said weakly. All that time of avoiding responsibility… And now he had one of the biggest dumped upon him._

The memory faded from Darui's mind just as Katsumi stormed off, evidently fed up at him for spacing out.

Darui shut the door and turned to see Kakashi washing up. The boy had been extremely subdued this morning and Darui knew he had hardly slept seeing as the light had remained on in Kakashi's room last night. Most likely the boy had been unable to sleep and he had decided to work his way through Darui's collection of books instead.

"Hey Kakashi," he called. "Once you're done I'll take you to my regular training grounds."

Kakashi turned and he wiped his wet hands on his pants. "Training?" He asked.

"Yep," Darui gave him a lazy smile. "Perhaps if we run some training exercises you may remember something. You're a ninja after all."

Kakashi nodded and Darui was pleased to see the boy brighten. He hated lying even though what they were doing had effectively saved the boy's life. Darui pushed the guilt aside and concentrated on looking forward to seeing what Kakashi's skills were. Hopefully he would live up to the name as the White Fang's heir.

The training ground was about a twenty-minute walk away. Ten if you ran along the cliff faces. Darui however was sure that Kakashi wasn't ready for that type of travelling just yet. The sealing team had assured them that Kakashi would retain all abilities as a ninja. His body would recall each technique even if his mind didn't.

Darui and Kakashi stopped in a small clearing half way up one of the mountains that the village was built on and around. The ground beneath them was covered with snow and the small tarn that was encircled by rocks was iced over.

Darui sighed as he glanced around him, as he dropped his backpack onto a rock. His old genin team had trained here. Their sensei had been a cruel, sadistic bastard who had hated children. Most of their training had consisted of being left out on this mountain during a blizzard. Good times, good times.

"You remember everything about chakra right?" Darui asked and Kakashi gave him a nod. "Good, climb up the cliff then only using chakra."

Darui watched as Kakashi walked up the rock face, pleased to see it was effortless for the boy. In one smooth leap, he leapt down before him.

Darui nodded approvingly then he pulled out two training kodachi that were strapped to his backpack. He threw one to Kakashi who easily caught it.

"Sword training?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"Just a hunch," Darui shrugged. "You move like a swordsman." He wasn't lying either. Despite the fact he was only thirteen Kakashi moved with catlike grace. From his slim, lithe build Darui guessed he was a person who valued speed over strength. Already he knew that the boy also favoured his right hand over his left. No matter how much a ninja tried to hide their abilities their body always gave them away.

Those who were long distance fighters were usually smaller and quick on their feet. Taijutsu fighters varied depending on their fighting style but the amount of muscle usually gave them away. Illusion specialists lacked strength and were normally highly intelligent people. Even if Darui hadn't seen Kakashi with the White Fang he would have easily guessed that the boy was a swordsman who disliked using taijutsu.

"First warm up," Darui told him. "I don't want you to strain anything after you've just recovered."

The two of them propped their swords against rocks. "Race up the to the top and back?" Darui pointed at the peak of the mountain that towered above them

Propelled by chakra the two sprinted up the rock face. The task was simple enough for Darui but constantly he kept an eye on Kakashi. However he was surprised by the boy's sheer agility as he bounded over the rocks.

In less than five minutes the two made it back into the clearing. Kakashi was panting a little. Darui had let him lead right up until the last moment where he'd cut in front of him.

"You really weren't putting that much effort in were you?" Kakashi scowled causing Darui to laugh. He really was beginning to take a liking to this kid.

They picked up the their kodachi, unsheathing the blades and leaving the scabbards on a rock. The blades were blunted so they wouldn't cut each other into ribbons. Darui wasn't a particularly big fan of the kodachi; he usually favoured heavier swords however he didn't want to kill Kakashi.

Slowly the two began to circle each other, analysing each other's movements. Darui never particularly liked to attack first but he knew Kakashi was waiting him to make the first move.

Darui rushed at Kakashi and only with his minimum amount of his strength he caused the boy to stumble back as the blades clashed. Kakashi's eyes widened as he frantically parried his attacks. Just when Darui was beginning to think this training was a mistake, a noticeable change took over Kakashi.

The boy's posture suddenly relaxed and his eyes glazed over. Adjusting his grip on the hilt, Kakashi suddenly feinted to the left. Instantly Darui parried his attack but Kakashi was ready. The boy spun, sending a blinding uppercut towards Darui's throat, which forced the man backwards.

Kakashi's movements had turned into liquid. His footwork was phenomenal, far beyond anything that most people could hope for, let alone a thirteen year old. The style was mostly definitely that of Konoha's. Darui noticed there was also something else in there. His ripostes were a lot more vicious than Konoha's definitive style. Kakashi combined short stabbing movements with spinning arcs, using his speed to dazzle the attacker. There was also a strange element of randomness to his movements that somehow made his style even more graceful.

_He must have had different tutors, _Darui surmised as he sidestepped away from Kakashi's blade.

Darui decided to step things up a notch and push Kakashi a little further. He suddenly charged at the boy, drawing back his kodachi. In one smooth arc he aimed the sword at Kakashi's belly.

Kakashi threw himself onto the snow as the blade sung though the air. The boy rolled to his feet but then; suddenly he dropped the kodachi with a stunned look upon his face.

"What is it?" Darui asked finding himself worried. Had he remembered something? Was there something wrong with the seal?

"I…" Kakashi stared at his hands with an unnerved expression. "I… How can I do all of this?"

Darui relaxed and he felt a twinge of sympathy towards the boy. It must be frightening not to be able to remember whom your parents were yet be able to turn into a killing machine.

"Your body remembers things that your mind doesn't," Darui told him and he ruffled Kakashi's hair. "Come on… Let's take a break."

* * *

><p>For most of the day Minato had spent his time in and out of teahouses as he listened to gossip. He'd shamelessly charmed several women and had managed to gather a great deal of information however he still had no idea of Kakashi's whereabouts.<p>

Minato was sitting in a small bar and opposite him was one of Kumo's great weapon smiths. The woman was extremely disgruntled and extremely drunk after Minato had treated her to a bottle of sake.

"You have a _very_ unusual accent," She stared at Minato, her cheeks flushed.

"I was posted in Frost Country for a couple of years," Minato told her for about the tenth time. "So tell me more about your work?"

"You mean my _master's_ work," the woman spat. "Bloody typical. I mean that genius Darui waltzes in and suddenly we're all shoved out of the place." She attempts to snap her fingers together but doesn't quite manage it.

Minato made sympathetic noises and then asked, "Did you over hear what they were talking about?"

The woman sniggered, "Even better. See normally I'm a… Senible… Sen-sensible person but I was so pissed because I couldn't finish what I was working on, so I snuck in."

The woman leant over the table, revealing a great deal of her cleavage to Minato who pointedly looked away.

"And do you know I heard," the woman said in a stage whisper. "I heard that they were trying to re-forge the Fight Wang."

"Huh?" Minato blinked all too intelligently. Maybe it'd been a mistake letting her drink the entire bottle of sake.

"The Fight Wang," the woman said, as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. "You know Fight Wang from Konoha."

Minato's eyes suddenly widened as he realised what the woman meant. The White Fang. Kumo had re-forged the blade?

Knowing he shouldn't really push his luck any further Minato asked, "Do you know where it is now?"

"Dunno," the woman slumped back. "Darui took it away, Raikage probably has it now."

"I see," Minato nodded. He stood up with a flourish. "Well thank you, it's been lovely talking to you." Throwing a couple of notes onto the table, Minato hurried out of the bar.

The Raikage tower was the one right in the centre of Kumo. It was bad news if they possessed something like the White Fang… Perhaps he should steal the blade as well as find Kakashi? That was pushing it even for Konoha's Yellow Flash however if the rest of the team's diversion went according to plan then he may be able to pull if off.

Forming a plan, Minato headed off in the direction of the Raikage's tower.

* * *

><p>Kakashi was both physically and emotionally exhausted by the time they made it to the flats where Darui lived. It had been truly frightening when his body had moved of its own accord despite the fact he couldn't remember ever learning how to fight. It was bizarre the way small hints and helpful reminders filled his head. How did he know that good footwork and good swordsmanship go hand in hand? Who had told him about the importance of teamwork? Why was it that Kakashi valued a teammate's life above all else?<p>

His head was pounding with every step he took. What made it even more frustrating was that not a single memory had surface today.

"Next floor," Darui told him as they walked along a walkway. "Get an early night tonight… It's been a tiring day."

Kakashi nodded and rubbed his temple. He glanced up and to their left he saw a man stepping out of his flat.

Suddenly Darui stopped and called, "Hey Masumi, bad news. Apparently Katsumi caught your boyfriend walking out of the flat this morning. She's going to be pestering you from now on."

Masumi gave Darui a confused look. "I don't know what you mean Darui-san," the chunin said. "My boyfriend was sent out to the outpost in Frost Country a few days ago…"

The two men stared at each other. Suddenly Masumi swore and stuffed his key into the lock, shoving his front door open. Darui followed him inside with a curious Kakashi behind him.

"Nothing's been stolen though," Masumi said as they kicked off their sandals and walked into his living room. "TV is still here… I haven't really got anything that valuable and I'm not high ranking enough to have any sensitive information. I mean I couldn't find my forehead protector this morning…"

Darui's usually laid-back demeanour vanished and Kakashi could see why so many Kumo ninja admired him. They watched as Darui walked around the flat, looking into each room.

"Slight trace of chakra," he muttered. "Same one I felt… Damn."

He turned to Masumi and said in a decisive voice, "Masumi report to ANBU immediately that we have an intruder. Someone who is most likely of great skill as they managed infiltrate the barrier unnoticed. Give the information that the person is a blonde haired, blue eyes male who's wearing Kumo uniform. Apparently good-looking as well. They'll most likely question you too."

"Right," Masumi nodded and he hurried away.

"Intruder?" Kakashi muttered as Darui scanned the flat.

"Yes," Darui nodded. "Why else would someone steal a forehead protector?"

They walked over to the front door and pulled on their sandals. Kakashi suddenly felt a slight twinge of apprehension. Him being in Kumo and then an intruder appearing so soon after… This surely couldn't be a coincidence.

Seeing Kakashi's face, Darui nodded and said, "Yes it is a possibility that they may be someone from your village."

Kakashi felt an icy chill. Someone from his village? If his village betrayed him... Then this person may have been sent to kill him.

"Where're we going?" Kakashi asked as they sprinted down the stairs.

"To report this to the Raikage," Darui told him. He gave him a reassuring smile and added, "Don't worry, if it's the scum who tried to kill you from your village we'll be sure to kill them."

Darui's smile boosted Kakashi's confidence and they hurried on towards to Raikage's tower.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Just some quick information:**

Henohenomoheji **= It's a face that is apprently drawn by Japanese schoolchildren. The word is broken down into seven hiragana characters to form a 'Kakashi' so a scarecrow. This is the symbol on the backs of Kakashi's ninken pack. I always liked to think that Kakashi doodled them as a kid.**

Tanto **= A kind of Japanese dagger. The old White Fang was one of these.**

Kodachi **= Basically a Japanese short sword. It's bigger than a wakizashi and smaller than a katana.**

**Of course I'm not an expert on Japanese weaponry... I simply just read about this stuff on the internet, for fun because I'm a complete nerd. If anything is wrong feel free to tell me and I'll correct it :)**

**Sorry if the pace feels kind of slow at the moment but the climax of the arc will be occurring in the next chapter or so.**

**Hope you liked the chapter and thanks for reading!**


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

It was in the evening when Minato reached the Raikage tower. As he approached the long staircase leading up to the mountain that the tower was perched upon, he couldn't help but notice an increase of activity. ANBU flitted down the steps and ninja were hurrying to and from the tower.

_Something's got them worried, _Minato thought as he hid in the shadows.

He glanced up at the tower that was shrouded in cloud. Looks like he was going to have to infiltrate it the hard way. Using the fading light as cover, Minato hid his chakra and slipped away.

The base of the cliff was in a shallow gorge and even though he was hidden in the gloom, Minato still felt exposed. Kumo was full of bridges and walkways. If someone on the opposite side of the gorge looked across they would spot him. Not to mention that high above him was the bridge leading to the Raikage's tower.

"Three," Minato muttered as he placed a tag on a rock. He had removed the tag from the Kumo sentry earlier. It was best to reserve as much chakra as possible for his escape so only three of his tags was activated. He had left another on the boat but Minato really didn't want attempt hiraishin over such a massive distance.

Slowly, using chakra as support, Minato began to climb. It was agonising work. Minato's senses had gone into overdrive and every time he thought he heard something he stopped, pressing his body against the rock.

After several tense minutes he made it to the base of the tower. The open window above him made it all too easy for Minato to enter. Silently, he dropped down into a dark storage room. The room was filled with countless boxes and filing cabinets no doubt filled with the records of Kumo ninja. It was a treasure trove of information for any enemies. Minato, however, didn't spare the records a second glance. Instead he performed the summoning technique and sent a messenger toad to Obito, relaying that it was now time to perform the diversion.

Minato then crept over the boxes and leant against the storage room door, straining his ears for a sound. A pair of footsteps hurried past but when that faded away, Minato placed his hand on cold metal of the door handle. Slowly, he cracked open the door. The sliver of light from the corridor stung Minato's eyes but the sound of rapid feet caused him to freeze.

"Gather your things and take Kakashi to the safe house that's furthest away in the mountains," he heard someone say. "I've already sent C there. Remain there until we find the intruder."

"Yes Boss," another man said. Minato saw them walk past and suddenly he saw a flash of silver hair. Kakashi?

Minato knew he would have to get to Kakashi now before they reached the safe house. Once the Kumo ninja were deep in the mountains it would be too late. Minato wouldn't be able to find them. He also knew it would be suicide to take on the entire village.

Suddenly there was soft rumble in the distance. Minato glanced over to the window. Far away on the horizon it appeared that half a mountain was collapsing. Smoke rose up in a large black mass as rock burst into flames. Looks like the diversion had gone according to plan.

"A-sama!" He heard someone charge down the corridor.

"Yeah I know," the first man from earlier grunted. "Probably a diversion. First organise a party to minimise any damage. No doubt my father will already be sending out a team to investigate."

Minato moved away from the door. He needed to find Kakashi now before things got out of hand. The only way out of the Raikage tower was through the main entrance and over the bridge. He'll apprehend them there.

However, just when Minato was about to activate hiraishin, the wall behind him exploded.

The sheer force flung Minato forwards and he was sent flying through the window. Documents floated and glass showered around him as Minato was sent tumbling to the earth. Instantly, instinct kicked in and he activated hiraishin.

_What was that?_ Minato thought as he materialised at the foot of the cliff. His question was soon answered as something burst out from the broken window and tore down the mountain towards him. The sheer speed of his attacker took Minato by surprise. He barely had time to dodge as the person thundered to the ground.

Their landing caused the earth to crack beneath Minato's feet and through the dust a hulking man emerged. A layer of electricity crackled around the man and he was good foot taller than Minato. If this came down to a taijutsu fight Minato would most certainly lose.

"You're the first person who managed to dodge one of my attacks," the man said in gruff voice.

"You're the first person whose speed took me by surprise," Minato told him honestly and he pulled out two kunai.

Suddenly Minato hurled the first at the man. With a casual flick of the wrist the man deflected the weapon and it spun away to be embedded in the ground.

The man flashed upwards and plummeted towards him, his leg raised ready to deliver a deadly blow. In an instant Minato vanished, appearing next to the fallen kunai and he scooped it up. The man crashed to the ground with a snarl causing the earth to shake.

Thinking fast, Minato hurled one kunai high into the air. The man charged towards him and Minato vanished just as the man's fist grazed his shoulder.

As he appeared in mid air a searing pain filled Minato's arm as snarling electricity shocked him. Ignoring the pain, Minato threw both kunai. One aimed at the man's feet and the other at his chest.

The man swayed to his right and the kunai instead hammered home into his shoulder. Suddenly he found Minato at his feet. In Minato's hand was a swirling mass of chakra.

"Rasengan!" He shouted, aiming the chakra at the man's chest.

The speed of the man's reaction stunned Minato. In nanoseconds he ripped out the kunai from his shoulder and the electricity was back, buzzing around his body just as the rasengan hit him.

Minato gritted his teeth and hurled as much power as he could into the attack. The electricity around the man's body shrieked. The tension between the two's chakra couldn't last long as the muscles in Minato's arm screamed and the man had begun to sweat heavily.

Suddenly the tension broke and both men were hurled backwards.

Coughing, Minato staggered up and squinted through the dust. Sure enough, his opponent was dragging himself to his feet. It was unnerving. Always Minato's speed had given him the upper hand in battle. Never before had he met someone who could keep up with him.

"You channelled wind chakra into that kunai, didn't you?" The Kumo ninja growled as trails of blood traced its way down his arm. "To counter my lightning armour… But that technique… It's based on the tailed beast ball, isn't it?"

Acting as the outpost's saviour in the battle against the rampant jinchuriki wasn't nearly as glorious as it sounded. If fact every time he recalled the memory, Minato shuddered. Suna's jinchuriki had lost control, if they even had any control in the first place. The person hadn't been human, more of a demon as they killed both Konoha and Suna ninja alike. When it was about to aim the beast ball at their outpost Minato had only just managed to execute a technique he'd been working on, the space-time barrier.

The outpost had been saved but things had turned into a desperate struggle. Minato had sent his men to retreat while he dragged his already exhausted body to fight the beast. Shikaku had called him an idiot and he was right. Minato would gladly act the brave idiot and die to save the people of Konoha. It was only after the future Fourth Kazekage had arrived along with the Suna elders had the jinchuriki been subdued and Suna had withdrawn its forces.

However after that battle, Minato had been inspired to create a new technique based on the beast ball. It had taken him three years but he'd managed to perfect it.

"Yes," Minato nodded.

The man scowled at him and said, "Blonde hair… Konoha… You're the Yellow Flash, Namikaze Minato."

Seeing as there was really no point in denying it Minato nodded and added, "I take it you're the Raikage's son, A, that was the lightning armour you were using after all."

Minato glanced upwards at the bridge above him to see two figures emerge from the Raikage's tower. Damn. He needed to destroy the bridge _now_.

Scooping his kunai, Minato gave A a smile and a wave. Then he vanished and reappeared where he'd placed the tag at the bottom of the cliff. Just as A cursed and began to charge his lightning chakra, Minato flung a kunai high above him and activated hiraishin.

It turned into a deadly game of tag. Onlookers who were inside the Raikage tower and were standing around the walkways above the gorge stared. No one really wanted to get in the way of A when he was fighting. Kumo had faith that the Raikage's son would kill the intruder. Anyway, to them Minato and A had become blurs. Flashes of yellow and blue as they chased each other up towards the base of the Raikage tower. High up in his office, the Raikage was leaning against the window as he watched his son chase the intruder with a smile upon his face. Only if things became serious would he get involved. Right now he was rather enjoying being the spectator.

Minato continued his pattern of throwing his kunai in the air and teleporting. Each time he flashed away A barely missed him. Minato knew that if A managed to land a hit on him, he was dead.

Spinning on his heel, he sheathed both of his kunai. Then, with blinding speed Minato formed some seals and said, "Wind style: Wind cutter."

A belt of lethal air was shot out at A from Minato's mouth causing the man to swerve. Seizing the advantage Minato then formed the same seals and aimed his technique at the bridge. The wind slammed into the end of the bridge, slicing through the rock. Instantly the further end of the bridge crumbled. Kumo ninja leapt to safety and the two figures that'd been running from the Raikage tower had been brought to a halt.

Minato then threw one of his kunai at the underside of the broken bridge and he activated hiraishin, narrowly avoiding a punch from A. In one clean leap, Minato jumped up in front of Kakashi and the young man who'd been accompanying him.

"Kakashi," Minato said urgently. Now was not the time for tearful reunions. He needed to grab Kakashi and teleport out of here.

Kakashi however just stared at him blankly. The man next to Kakashi gently pushed the boy behind him, as if to protect him from Minato.

"Kakashi," Minato called again. Maybe he hadn't heard him… At least that was what Minato hoped.

Silence. Why wasn't he moving? Then Kakashi said something that broke Minato's heart. "Who are you?" His student asked.

Those three words stabbed Minato in the chest. He stared at the boy. It definitely was Kakashi. Despite the fact he wasn't wearing a mask. Minato could recognise that silver hair anywhere and it was definitely Kakashi's chakra.

It was the same boy he had taught for the past seven years, the child who both Minato and Kushina adored. They had gone through everything together. D-rank missions and outings to Ichiraku's. Minato had watched Kakashi pass the chunin exam, assured both the White Fang and the Hokage that he would do his best to train him. They had shared terrible times too when Minato had comforted and helped Kushina look after Kakashi when Sakumo-san had died.

"Kakashi it's me," Minato said, all too aware that A was tearing up the cliff towards the bridge. "Minato-sensei. You remember me, right?"

Kakashi shook his head. The boy looked so confused and Minato couldn't help but notice how he kept glancing at the man in front of him for reassurance.

Their meeting was then cut short as A leapt onto the bridge, to stand behind Minato.

"It's over, Yellow Flash," He said. A took a step forwards as electricity crackled over his body.

Suddenly all four felt a faint pulse of chakra emanate from the distance where the landslide had originated from earlier. Though brief the chakra felt disgusting, thick and malicious.

They froze.

"That chakra…" The man in front of Kakashi muttered. "Boss-"

"B and Yugito are safe training in the Valley of Cloud and Lightning, Darui," A said. His eyes narrowed at Minato. "You brought a jinchuriki here?"

"Konoha doesn't have a jinchuriki," Minato said slowly. "Our village would never do that to a person."

"Every major village has a jinchuriki to maintain the balance of power," Darui said and he stared at Minato in slow disbelief. "Everyone knows that."

"Evidently not Konoha," A snorted. "And you certainly do have a jinchuriki. There was an attempt quite a few years ago to capture her."

Her. A kidnapping by Kumo... Minato's quick mind soon began to connect the dots.

_"I have a very special chakra," Kushina shrugged after he had saved her from the Kumo nins. "It's unique to my village. That and sealing too. Apparently, in the old days, they used to be able to seal other living beings inside people. How gross is that?"_

Kushina's monthly appointments despite the fact she never got sick. Her dislike for talking about the past and her fear of becoming too close to people, it all made sense.

"No," Minato whispered. How was it even possible? Suna's jinchuriki had been insane. A monster or a demon but certainly not a human. Kushina… Kushina was anything but a monster. With her beautiful hair and fiery personality, Minato had always felt she embodied life itself.

Minato glanced over his shoulder at the landslide in the distance. That pulse of chakra… Minato knew that his team were in trouble.

"Konoha?" Kakashi voiced slowly. He said the name of the village as if it were a foreign word. Frustration and pain wrought his features. As if trying recall his home caused Kakashi vast amounts of pain.

"That's right," Minato said. "Do you remember it Kakashi, your home? With Kushina, Obito, Rin and me."

Minato might as well have been speaking a different language. He stared at him and Minato could see a desperate expression cross Kakashi's face that was mixed with agony. Kakashi's eyes were at filled first with longing… Then a more potent mixture of emotions came into focus. Anger and despair. Worse of there wasn't even a flicker of recognition in those grey irises.

"You're lying," Kakashi whispered, causing Minato to stumble back in shock. "Those names… They mean nothing to me. If they did I'd remember something… Konoha… If that was my village… They tried to kill me."

_Of course, _Minato suddenly realised. _They've tampered with his memories and taken advantage of Orochimaru's abuse._

A horrid sadness tore through his chest. Minato was trapped. He needed Kakashi to make a move so they could escape and right now the others needed him too. Minato was going to have to make a choice that he would regret for the rest of his life.

Suddenly Darui stepped back and ruffled Kakashi's hair. The gesture, though a small one, was a sign of affection. Minato's eyes widened. He already had known that Kumo wouldn't harm Kakashi. No if anything they'd train and nurture the boy so he'd grow into a formidable ninja. A weapon. But… That simple reassurance Darui had given Kakashi… That was something else entirely. Minato's assumptions about Kumo had been completely wrong just like so many other things.

A flare shot high into the sky leaving a trail a streaming red smoke in its wake. Kushina, Obito and Rin were in dire need of help. A took a step towards him, fists clenched.

Minato gave Kakashi a soft, sad smile. He knew that anything he said now wouldn't be able to make the boy remember. Not if Kumo had done a thorough job, which they would most definitely would have.

"Look after him," he told Darui taking the young man by surprise.

With that Minato activated hiraishin and vanished from the bridge. The Yellow Flash materialised on the rock he'd been hiding behind that very morning outside of Kumogakure.

Minato bounded over the rocks in the direction where Kushina, Obito and Rin were. He didn't dare look back at Kumo. If he did, Minato was afraid that he might charge back into the village.

"I'm sorry, Kakashi," Minato whispered as icy air whipped his cheeks. "I'm so sorry."

* * *

><p>At first the plan had gone perfectly. Kushina, Obito and Rin had situated themselves high in a mountain above Kumo and laid the trap, which was hundreds of explosive tags that were to cause a landslide. Two days later Minato's messenger frog had arrived and using one of his summons Obito had doused the rocks in oil. Then after taking cover Rin had set off the tags causing a half of the mountain to collapse into a roaring inferno.<p>

All in all, Obito thought it had been pretty cool to watch. That was… Until the Kumo ANBU squad had arrived. Just as they were sneaking away Kumo had ambushed them since they knew a shortcut to cut the team's escape route.

The three of them stood with their backs against each other in a small valley as eight ANBU surrounded them. Obito was used to fighting in chaotic battlefields, battling ninja in skirmishes and he had taken part in ambushes during the war. However, he had never faced a scenario like this.

"Surrender now and your lives will be spared," the ANBU captain told them.

_Will you? Really? _Obito thought sceptically. Sure they'd spare their lives for interrogation and torturing. Personally Obito would rather die in battle.

"Afraid we can't do that," Kushina sighed rather dramatically. She then hissed to Obito and Rin, "You two take the two opposite you. I'll handle the rest. Remember these are Kumo ninja. Water techniques will most likely only enhance their techniques. Try not to kill them either. We don't want to start a war."

Things had just become a lot harder. It was so easy to kill someone rather than to incapacitate them. Obito ground his teeth, annoyed that he would probably have to use his sharingan.

For a moment they stood in silence… Then Kushina struck first. Out the corner he saw golden chains swirl in the palms of her hands.

The ANBU captain shouted and they launched themselves at her, but it was too late. Kushina aimed her hands at the ANBU captain and she yelled, "Secret Whirlpool arts: Chain sealing!"

In a flash the chains shots from her hands and fastened around the ANBU captain until his entire body was bound with chains. The man collapsed to the ground, his cries muffled by the technique. Kushina then performed the shadow technique and two more of her appeared.

Obito then had to stop watching because an ANBU member had just launched himself at him. In a flurry of seals the ox-masked ANBU shot a shower of razor winds towards Obito.

Remembering his combination training with Asuma, Obito clapped his hands into a number of seals and shouted, "Fire style: Blaze ball!"

This technique was a rank higher than the great fireball technique, something that Obito had been working on.

Roaring flames exploded from Obito's mouth to form a swirling mass. As soon as the fire and wind collided, the blaze exploded into one giant inferno. The wave of flames soon engulfed the ox-masked ANBU along with his comrade who had been hurrying to aid him.

_Three down, _Obito thought as his goggles shielded his eyes from the stinging smoke.

Suddenly there was muffled cry and another ANBU to Obito's right collapsed. Someone's back collided with his and Rin as leaned against him she said grimly, "Make that four down."

They glanced over at Kushina who was occupying two Kumo ANBU. Her crimson hair was flying wildly as her and a shadow clone engaged them in a taijutsu battle.

The two other remaining ANBU approached Rin and Obito.

"Obito," Rin whispered. "I have a technique which will incapacitate both of them. I just need an opening."

"Got it," Obito replied. Drawing a kunai, he launched himself at the ANBU to the left.

The hawk masked ANBU drew a katana and slashed at Obito's throat. The blade whistled over Obito's head as he ducked and instead of backing away, he rushed forwards. Users with long swords were at a disadvantage when it came to fighting in close quarters, Kakashi had told Obito that once when he'd been training for the chunin exams.

Unfortunately, Obito had underestimated the differences in strength when it came to a fully-grown man against a thirteen-year-old boy. As their blades clashed, Obito's kunai was sent flying out of his hand.

With one smooth spin, the ANBU seized advantage as he sent his blade towards Obito's chest. Instinct saved Obito. With barely any time to react he leapt back and raised his forearm to block most of the blow.

Agonising pain tore through Obito and he groaned, stumbling back. Blood spattered onto the ground and he found it almost impossible to move his fingers in his right arm.

"Better give up," the ANBU advised him. "I don't like hurting children."

"Damn it," Obito whispered. Seals were out of the question now. "I really didn't want to use this because I wanted to prove I could be something without the stupid bloodline…"

Pressure began to build behind his eyes and a red mist descended over his vision. Suddenly the Kumo ANBU's movements slowed and became blindingly predictable.

"The sharingan?" The hawk masked ANBU said, shock evident in his voice. He raised his katana and charged towards him.

Obito grinned as he sidestepped the blade. This was so much easier.

Diving away from another slash, Obito leapt up onto a rock. Quickly, he glanced at Rin who was struggling against the other ANBU.

The hawk masked ANBU was running towards him but Obito had a plan. He whipped out a reel of ninja wire and with his sharingan Obito calculated the exact moment he needed.

The hawk masked ANBU stumbled in shock as ninja wire suddenly bound his hands, causing him to drop his sword. While the ANBU struggled to get free, Obito watched Rin's opponent.

_Wait for it, _Obito thought as he studied the person's movements. _Now!_

Rin's opponent was suddenly jerked forwards as ninja wire was lassoed around his hand. Using all of his strength Obito leant back on his heels, holding both wire taut as he ignored the screaming pain in his right arm.

"Now Rin!" He shouted as his eyes watered.

Rin jumped up onto the rock next to him and she pulled out a scroll. Throwing it high into the air she formed a seal and whispered, "Sealing technique: Oxygen prison."

The black incantation slithered from the scroll to encircle the two Kumo ANBU. They watched as the Kumo nins began to choke and gasp for air. Then, in a matter of moments the wire Obito was holding became slack as their opponents collapsed to the ground.

The seal slithered back into Rin's scroll and she slipped it into her pocket.

"That was awesome," Obito grinned, panting slightly.

"Of course, it was taught by me after all," a proud voice said. They looked up to see Kushina approach them, having defeated her opponents.

"You're hurt," Rin said, her face creasing slightly as she studied Obito's arm. "Here I'll-"

"We need to get to safety first," Kushina said. "And you need to reserve your energy, Rin."

Rin nodded and Obito could tell that her technique had taken a lot out of her. She didn't have as much chakra as him after all.

"You're not in a lot of pain, are you?" Rin asked.

"Nope," Obito lied. He gave her a reassuring smile, not wanting to worry her.

"Let's go," Kushina said.

But their escape was suddenly cut short. Streaks flew over the rocks and before they knew it twice as many Kumo ANBU surrounded them than there were before.

"You," Kushina groaned. "Have got to be joking."

"Surrender," the new ANBU captain told them. "Your comrade has been captured."

Kushina seemed to find this incredibly funny. She let out a short burst of laughter and snorted, "You're lying. Minato can be an idiot but he would never do something as stupid as allow himself to be captured."

"He's good as dead," another ANBU muttered. "Seeing as he's fighting A-sama."

"You're fighting a losing battle," the ANBU captain cut in. "Hatake Kakashi is lost to Konoha. When your comrade finds him he will find a completely different person."

Obito felt Rin stiffen next to him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kushina snarled.

"Kumo is simply giving the White Fang's son a chance to grow," the ANBU captain told them. "A new life, something that Konoha didn't want."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Obito said. "Kakashi has a life. In Konoha."

The ANBU captain didn't answer however. Instead he raised his arm, ready to relay the order for his force to attack. Obito and Rin both reached to their weapons pouches but Kushina stopped them.

"Retreat," she told them, her voice sounding oddly calm. "I'll handle them for here on."

Obito was about to protest but he then caught the look in Kushina's eyes. Her eyes were swirling with rage and the veins in her hands bulged as she clenched her fists. Now was not the time to argue.

Suddenly Kushina's skin began to glow and the sheer power she was emanating caused to her hair to raise and part into nine-tails. A strange, thick chakra began to bubble on her skin.

Obito and Rin instantly recoiled. The red chakra had a cloying sense of evil to it began to split into three-tails.

"A jinchuriki," the ANBU captain hissed. "Damn it! Everyone, you know what to do! Someone report this to the Raikage. We need to contain her!"

The ANBU leapt back, several drawing weapons. Others drew out reels of ninja wire.

"A jinchuriki?" Rin whispered from next to Obito, her eyes wide with realisation. Obito however had no idea what a jinchuriki was. He just knew that the chakra Kushina was emanating was not human.

"I'm sorry," Kushina said, her voice carefully controlled despite her new state. "I never wanted anyone to see me like this… Retreat _now_."

Ninja wire was hurled at Kushina along with a shower of shruiken. With a simple burst of chakra Kushina blew away the shruiken away and with ease she dodged the ninja wire. The situation descended into chaos as the kunoichi weaved in and out of the ANBU.

Seizing the advantage, Rin and Obito slipped away. They bounded up the rocks and sprinted to the very top mountain to gaze down at Kushina. Despite the beastly amount of chakra she was emanating, Kushina's strength was astoundingly measured. With precise control to her movements she incapacitated three ANBU at once.

The Kumo ANBU, however, it seemed had handled a jimchuriki before. No matter how many times Kushina cut through them, they always managed to regroup. Some were even able to calculate her speed. It was clear that these ninja were no amateurs when it came to subduing a jinchuriki.

"We need to hurry," Rin said urgently. She drew the flare, something Minato had given them before he had left, from her belt.

"Damn it I can't form seals," Obito groaned. A simple fire technique could have lit it.

Rin shoved the flare at Obito as she brought out two pieces of flint.

"I came prepared," she told him. Rin scraped the flint together, attempting to generate a spark.

Down below them the fight was becoming frantic. Obito could feel the rocks beneath their feet shaking. Shrapnel and dust exploded upwards as Kushina made her move.

Finally, Rin managed to light the flare. As it exploded into the sky in one red streak, Obito let out a whoosh of relief.

For several, tense moments they waited as Kushina battled the Kumo ANBU below. Obito desperately wanted to help her, however he knew that they'd only get in her way. It appeared it took everything for Kushina to control her movements.

Suddenly a kunai shot through the air and landed at their feet. Rin and Obito stared for a moment, taking in its unusual shape and the strange seal that ran around the hilt. Then, in a yellow flash, Minato appeared with Kushina in his arms.

He set her down as the red chakra began to fade away. Kushina's eyes contained an ocean of emotion. Shock, horror, fear but most of all there was confusion.

"Everyone grab onto me," Minato told them. "I've sent the toad containing the boat ahead. There's a tag on the boat."

Everyone grabbed onto him. Obito gripped onto Minato's Kumo shirt and tensed.

The world vanished from his eyes and instantly they landed onto the boat with a resounding crash. For a moment they lay on the deck, panting. The soft crash of waves told them that they had made it. They'd escaped from Kumo. Mission success.

Despite the pain in his arm, Obito sat up and flashed Rin a grin. Strangely, she didn't return his smile. Instead, she was chewing her lip as if she was trying not to cry. He glanced around. Kushina was struggling to her feet, her eyes glazed over with disbelief. Obito staggered up and spun in a full 360-degree turn.

"Kakashi?" He called. Where was that idiot? "Where is he?"

"Set sail," Minato said, his blue eyes stern.

"But…" Rin started as she pulled herself up.

"Kumo may be on our tail," Minato ignored her. "Kushina set sail for the Rice Country. We'll only be safe once we're back in the Land of Fire."

Kushina's fists were clenched and she stared at Minato. There was so much _agony_ in her expression that Obito found himself unable to look at her. Finally she turned away.

"Sensei?" Obito asked. "I… I don't understand… Where's Kakashi?"

"Obito," Minato said softly. "Just do as I say."

It was then Obito noticed how awful Minato looked. His clothes were congealed with dirt and blood, his face ashen with exhaustion. Just a tired shadow of who you would expect the Yellow Flash to be.

They left the Land of Lightning in pained silence. Finally, in the evening when the boat was far out to sea, Minato told them of what had happened in Kumogakure. Kakashi had no idea who they were and due to their situation, he had no choice but to abort the mission.

For the entire journey home, everyone barely spoke too deeply locked in shock. Obito was in denial. It shouldn't have gone like that. They were supposed to succeed the mission. Team 7 was supposed to be finally reunited after three years… Now he wasn't even sure if he'd see Kakashi again.

To make matters worse Kushina had shut down. She refused to look any of them in the eye as if she was the blame for the mission failure.

Finally, eight agonising days later, they made it back Konoha. The sun shone spitefully down upon them as they trudged through the gates. Obito glanced up the Hokage Mountain but this time he wanted to be far, far away from home.

This was all wrong. Kakashi should be here, by their side.

Some chunin who was on watch cheerfully called out to them but all four ignored the man.

"I'll debrief with the Hokage," Minato told them. "You should all get some rest."

Rin and Obito nodded, Kushina however just stared at the Hokage Mountain with unseeing eyes. Minato opened his mouth as if to say something to her. Then he shook his head and body flickered away.

"Why are you all so glum?" The chunin asked them. "The war's over!"

Rin and Obito turned to him, their eyes wide.

"Typical," Kushina spat darkly and she body flickered away.

"The war's over?" Obito said, in slow disbelief.

"I thought you knew," the chunin scratched his head in a bemused fashion. "Aren't you part of the troops returning home?"

"We've… We've been on a mission," Obito said, grimacing slightly. "What happened?"

"Well first we managed to push Iwa from Waterfall Country," the chunin told them. "Things were getting pretty dire though since they were focusing all of their forces on Land of Grass. But the Hokage sent out a team and they destroyed Kannabi Bridge, so Iwa supply line was severed. After that they were forced to retreat!"

A bitter taste filled Obito's mouth. He couldn't believe it. After all that time of dreaming and hoping that the war would end… Obito hadn't imagined that it would end like this. He always thought it would be in some glorious battle that he'd take part in or possibly some heroic mission. Then he would return home and be reunited with his team.

"So you should cheer up," the chunin grinned.

Obito and Rin nodded, turning away from him. They walked together in numb, exhausted disbelief.

The Third Ninja World War was over. Konoha may have survived the fight against Iwa and won the war against Suna but…. They had lost the battle against Kumo.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Originally I was intending for this chapter to have a very different ending but when I tried to write it it just didn't work so I re-wrote the whole thing. I always have a couple of alternatives for where my different plots and sub-plots will go so in the end I just used this one. Though it has always been my intention for Kakashi to fulfill his potential and for Obito to survive the war.****  
><strong>

**Next chapter will conclude this arc. **

**As always thank you for reading and I hope you liked it the chapter!**


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Minato… Kushina… Obito… Rin…

Strangers. The names meant no more to Kakashi than a list of food from a shopping list. He clenched his fists in frustration.

After the man had vanished A had sent Darui and him to the safe house in case Konoha made another attempt again. Kakashi would have liked to help with the clean up of the village but he'd been shooed away.

It was in the early hours of the morning and Kakashi sat in the safe house, hugging his knees. The wooden cabin, protected by many barriers and illusions, had a tiny kitchen area and a bathroom no bigger than a cupboard. No beds were provided so they had laid out the bedrolls but Kakashi didn't particularly care. All that mattered was that it was warm, clean and most of all far away from the Konoha nins.

Darui's gentle, dull snores filled the room and C was outside on watch. Though they'd advised him to sleep, Kakashi had found it impossible.

He leant his back against the wooden wall and closed his eyes.

As soon as the man, the Yellow Flash of Konoha, had appeared Kakashi had felt… Nothing. He had strained his mind until an agonising pounding hounded him. It was strange. He had the odd flashes to do with the war and his name but when it came to truly important things, things that made Kakashi who he was… All he reached was a blank.

Perhaps the Yellow Flash had lied. Maybe Kakashi had never encountered him in his previous life. Though somehow he knew that wasn't true. The Yellow Flash's emotions had been too raw to be faked.

A soft tickling sensation brushed Kakashi's hand and he slowly opened his eyes. Raising his hand, he watched as a minute money spider made an intrepid expedition. The spider scaled across his thumbnail as it left a delicate trail of silky web.

Suddenly, the spider slipped and was left hanging by a fragile thread. For a moment, Kakashi studied the spider as its legs wriggled frantically in the attempt to climb. With the utmost care Kakashi stood up, as the spider gently swung from his thumb. He stood on his tiptoes and raised his hand high in the air so his finger rested on one of the beams supporting the low cabin ceiling. A ghost of a smile tugged at Kakashi's lips as the spider struggled back up to his thumb.

Slowly, it hiked up his hand. Kakashi felt a faint tickle as it worked its way up his index finger to finally make it onto the beam. He withdrew his hand as the spider began to make its new home and sunk back to the floor.

"You really are stubborn aren't you?" A lazy voice said. Darui sat up with decidedly rumpled hair and a faintly concerned look in his eyes.

Kakashi decided not to answer and gave him a shrug instead.

Darui sighed and scratched his head. "How's your head?" He asked.

"It's stopped hurting," Kakashi told him. "But I still can't remember anything."

Kakashi scowled. Maybe the Raikage was right. Maybe it was damaging his mind but still he was loath to give up all hope. Even though his previous home had been severed away from him, Kakashi wanted to know who _he_ was.

"You know," Darui drawled. "You always will be Kakashi."

Kakashi stared at him as a slight frown creased his forehead.

"I'm not a profound or wise person by an means," Darui said with transparent modesty. "In all honesty I'm pretty dull… However I do know one thing." The Kumo jonin leant forwards and with two fingers he prodded Kakashi in the chest.

"Your identity is ingrained somewhere a lot deeper than just your memories," Darui told him. "You're still essentially Kakashi and you will be for the rest of your life."

He sat back and gave the boy a smile. "All ninja desire a blank slate," he said. "You have no regrets, nothing to weigh you down. Use it as a gift and write yourself a legend."

Satisfied with his statement, Darui leant against the cabin wall opposite and promptly closed his eyes.

Kakashi's eyes widened with realisation and his mind raced with the infinite possibilities that had just been revealed to him. A gift, a new start, a new beginning… That was something he hadn't considered. After all where could he go now? Konoha most likely wanted him dead and his life would be in severe danger if he left Lightning Country. Kumo was the safest option and the people were welcoming here.

"Darui," Kakashi voiced.

"Mmm?" Darui replied, not bothering to open his eyes.

"Do you think it would be ok with the Raikage if I stayed in Kumo for a while?" He asked, wording the question carefully.

Darui opened his eyes lazily and gave Kakashi a grin. "It would be an honour," he told him.

Finally a smile crossed Kakashi lips and the muscles in his mouth ached slightly. It was then he realised that this must have been the first real smile he has had in a very long time.

* * *

><p>Normally whenever Minato was in the Hokage's office he was horribly self-conscious. The Third usually had the reputation of being a friendly old man, Konoha's grandfather. Jiraiya-sensei had told him otherwise. Though the Third was indeed a kind man, he was also frighteningly astute. Every time Minato met the Hokage he felt as if the village leader was assessing him.<p>

It was only a year or two later as Minato watched his face being carved into the Hokage Mountain, that he realised that the Hokage had been assessing him for his entire life. Ever since he had graduated from academy in fact.

However as he stood in the office, Minato just felt exhausted. His shoulder, which was only just healing after his clash with A, was itching. Dirt smeared his clothes and his normally bright locks were lank with grease. Right now all Minato wanted to do was go home, shower and sleep for a very, very long time.

"I see," the Third said after Minato had relayed to him what had happened. The Hokage ran a hand down his face and suddenly Minato realised how _old_ he was. It had always seemed ridiculous to him that the Third would retire. The Hokage was simply one of those people who gave you the impression of being immortal.

Right now however all Minato saw was a tired, old man who had been drained by the war.

"You made the right choice," the Third told him. "Anyone else would have done the same."

Minato nodded. He knew this but… It didn't mean he had to _like_ it.

"There is nothing we can do for now," the Hokage gave a pained sigh. "I hate to lose Sakumo's son and Kakashi is a member of this village however…"

Konoha was barely standing since the war had officially ended only a few days ago. The economy was at an all time low and resources were crippled. Troops were scattered in several countries and outposts needed to be dismantled in some areas. The treaty with Kusa still held strong so men were needed to help with the rebuilding of their country. Not to mention the sheer amount of life lost…

If they made another attempt to retrieve Kakashi it could lead to a war with Kumo, one that Konoha would most definitely lose.

It was hopeless. No matter how Minato looked at it cold hard reality would always stare back. The village couldn't afford to rescue Kakashi. His student was lost and if they ever met again it would be as enemies.

"Kumo won't harm Kakashi," Minato said with full confidence. "They'll treat him as one of their own."

_At least this way Kakashi will be able to grow up into a strong ninja, _Minato thought. With his student far away in Kumo, Kakashi would be out of Orochimaru's reach.

His fists tightened as he thought of the Sannin. As the Third's favourite and Hokage candidate, Minato couldn't accuse Orochimaru. He needed proof. A bitter taste filled Minato's mouth, as all he could think was that if he'd been a better teacher, perhaps none of this would have happened.

"There is one simple solution for this," a cold voice said. Minato turned to see none other than the leader of ANBU's Root, Danzo, walk through the doors.

The man was grizzled to say the least, with his shaggy mop of hair and the bandage covering his right eye. He had heard from Shikaku that Danzo had lost the eye during the second war. In any case Minato had been extremely glad to be posted far away from Root's leader. The man hated the Yellow Flash with a passion.

"The White Fang's son is too valuable to lose," Danzo said. "Leaving him in the hands of Kumo would only endanger the village."

"What would you suggest, Danzo?" The Third asked.

Without a single hint of hesitation Danzo said, "Assassinate the boy."

For a moment Minato had thought he'd heard wrong. He knew Danzo would use any means to protect the village but not this.

"Hatake Kakashi is now considered a missing-nin and is therefore a threat to Konoha," Danzo told him, seeing Minato's disbelieving face. "It's for the good of the village."

Minato had never been the type to act rashly. No matter how much rage he'd felt he was always able to rein his emotions in. His azure eyes took on a steely glint and the muscles in his jaw tightened.

"Kakashi is still a member of Konoha and a highly skilled ninja," Minato told him in a slow and even voice. "As his sensei I know that better than anyone. He did not willingly choose this fate."

"Then as his sensei perhaps you should have kept a better watch on him," Danzo raised an eyebrow. "It was your duty after all."

The words stung Minato but he held his gaze with Danzo's. "Perhaps that is true," he said softly. "However it is important not to act rashly. Kakashi's only thirteen at the moment. Kumo will spend two or three years training him. In that time we can rebuild the village. Then break the seal. For now Kakashi isn't a threat."

"They're training the boy to be a weapon," Danzo cut in. "Just as they do with their jinchuriki."

"No," Minato's voice grew stronger. "Kumo intends the best for Kakashi, they will raise him as one of their own."

Suddenly there was a dry rasping as the Hokage cleared his throat. He had been silent for the whole time as he carefully analysed their exchange.

"Danzo," the Third said. "While it is true that there is a potential threat for the moment it is too small for us to react."

"Hiruzen you cannot possibly agree with this _boy_," Danzo shot a scathing look at Minato who felt decidedly grubby as he stood next to the clean veteran.

"You forget that Minato is the successful commander of the frontlines against Suna," the Third told him. "It is time that we place some trust in the next generation."

Danzo let out a derisive snort. Then with a jerk of the head to the Hokage and without so much a glance at Minato, he stalked out of the office.

There was a moment's silence as both Minato and the Third stared at the closed door. Then, as Minato turned to the Hokage he was surprised to see the old man leaning back in his chair with a smile.

"Well," the Third smiled. "Now that I've seen you handle Danzo, I think I have no choice but to choose you as my successor."

Minato blinked. Hard.

"Successor for what?" He said stupidly.

The Hokage chuckled and he waited for it to sink in.

Then… It hit Minato and his eyes widened. "Wh-really?" He spluttered. "I mean… What I mean is…" He gave an awkward bow and said, "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

The Third laughed and told him, "That is precisely why I chose you. It will be at least a few months before you take over, after all I cannot leave you with a broken village. I will also need to go through with you some certain duties and paperwork. It will be publicly announced in a few weeks or so."

"Right…" Minato said, still stunned to form proper sentences.

"For now however I suggest we keep things quiet," the Third said and his face grew more serious. "There are people I need to… Deal with before I make the announcement."

"I understand," Minato nodded.

Unfortunately, though Minato would keep his word about not telling people he was the Hokage's successor, the secretary who'd been listening in would not. She would let it slip to her husband at the dinner table, who would then in turn tell it to his friend, and that friend would tell it to his sister who would gossip it about it to her colleague and so on and so forth. Until eventually a week later the village would be buzzing with the news that Namikaze Minato would be the Fourth Hokage. A few days after this Orochimaru, who was already being investigated by the Hokage and ANBU, would abandon his apprentice and desert the village forever.

The Hokage's smile faded and a regretful look filled his eyes. "How is Kushina?" He asked.

The temporary euphoria left Minato and his shoulders slumped. Kushina… Minato recalled the horror and fear in her eyes when he'd appeared. Her beautiful skin had been covered in the disgusting, sludge like chakra that was nowhere near warm as her own. Those wild ocean eyes had vanished, replaced by blood red irises and black slits for pupils. Yet… Her hair, the thing that had first caught Minato's eyes in academy, it'd remained the same; still a wonderful visage of red that flared out behind her in one furious wave.

Kushina had always been an eternal mystery to him. Like ocean currents her moods were unpredictable and during their younger years she'd been one furious ball of anger.

Yet somehow there was always something undeniably feminine in the way she laughed. Minato was entranced as she covered her mouth when she giggled and watch as her nose wrinkled slightly. He'd once tried to count how many freckles she had on the slight smattering on her nose but she'd told him off for appearing so gormless.

Unconsciously, Minato touched the inside pocket of the Kumo shirt he was still wearing. Curled up inside was the lock of hair Kushina had given him before they had parted for the war. A lucky charm. Minato was adamant that this gift was the sole reason he had stayed alive during the war.

Kushina couldn't be a monster… No she _wasn't _a monster.

There had been fear in her eyes when she realised her secret was out. In all truth Minato was hurt that Kushina felt that she couldn't tell him but then he didn't blame her. It caused his chest to ache to think how isolated she must have felt and the amount of pain she was going through right now. After all she had lost the person she loved the most.

"I see," the Hokage said softly as he took in Minato's silence. "But then she was Sakumo's student after all… You best talk to her and Obito and Rin too. However first you should get some rest."

Minato nodded and thanked the Hokage. Just as he turned to open the door the Third suddenly called out, "Remember Minato. It's not about the things we say, but about the things we didn't."

With that cryptic thought, Minato walked out of the office and his knees almost buckled from the weight of emotions he'd just gone through. Forming a seal, he body flickered out of the tower and materialised in his tiny flat. Minato stumbled into his bedroom and finally collapsed onto his bed, his head reeling with realisation.

* * *

><p><em>"Kushina come down."<em>

_ "No."_

_ "Please?"_

_ "Leave me alone, Sensei."_

_ As Kushina sat high up in the tallest cherry blossom tree near the Naka River, she heard Konoha's White Fang let out a world-weary sigh. It was no surprise. Kushina had been sitting up here for an entire day. She'd come prepared, with her thin blanket from the orphanage, lots of chocolate bars and a bottle of water. Sadly the chocolate had been eaten long ago and now at two in the morning, Kushina was beginning to shiver from the cold._

_ "The lady at the orphanage was worried that you didn't return today," Sakumo's voice floated up to her._

_ Kushina let out a derisive snort. That stupid over smiley woman was only worried because the Hokage had told her to keep an eye on her. Knowing Sakumo-sensei was her jonin instructor the woman had probably gone crying to him to find her._

_ The beginning of the day had been fun. At seven in the morning Kushina had climbed up into the tree. Sitting high up in the cherry blossom provided Kushina with a sense of freedom. The leaves separated her from the village and in that enclosed world she could just _forget_._

_ Of course since the tree was near the path that led to the Uchiha compound Kushina had found an endless source of entertainment. She had happily shot chakra-powered twigs at any unsuspecting Uchiha who'd passed by. The Uchiha police had been enraged but Kushina had simply climbed higher and higher. They'd informed the Hokage who'd arrived in the mid-morning and asked mildly if Kushina was bird watching. After telling her not to harass passers by the Third had left._

_ Next Mikoto had sat at the base of the tree and the two had talked for hours. She'd given Kushina some onigiri to eat until eventually she had to go to meet with her team to train. _

_ Then the old bat Biwako had visited and tried to shout Kushina down. Kushina had merely retaliated by giving a raucous rendition of the Whirlpool national anthem, all thirty-two verses of it._

_ Just as the evening was drawing in, she had heard Minato quietly ask if she was planning to stay up there forever. Kushina had of course ignored him. After all he was the reason she was there in the first place. Eventually after three hours of sitting by the tree in silence, Minato had left._

_ A part of Kushina wished that she'd talked to Minato. Maybe then she wouldn't be alone but as usual stubborn pride won over. _

_ Finally Sensei had arrived. Evidently they were growing desperate if they needed a living legend to coax an eleven-year-old girl down from a tree._

_ "Mikoto told me that you've been causing quite a fuss," Sakumo said._

_ "Mikoto's a traitor," Kushina shot back._

_ "Were those girls bullying you again?" Sakumo asked._

_ Instinctively Kushina covered the bruises and cuts on her arms with her hands._

_ "I heard you broke someone's nose," he added and Kushina heard a note of satisfaction in Sakumo's voice. "I'm proud that you didn't kill them."_

_ "Was it Minato again?" Sakumo asked her and his voice took on a slightly hard edge. "Because if it is-"_

_ "Go away Sensei," Kushina sighed._

_ There was silence and Sakumo suddenly let out a dramatic sigh. "Oh well," he said. "Looks like I'll have to eat all of this ramen by myself."_

_ Ramen? Kushina forced herself to stare resolutely at the leaves in front of her. __Then… A wonderful, mouth-watering aroma wafted up through the branches. Her nostrils twitched. She knew that smell. That wasn't just any ramen. That was Ichiraku ramen._

_ Kushina's stomach betrayed her resolve by emitting a low rumble. This really wasn't fair._

_ She peered over a branch to look down below. Sakumo had two steaming tubs of ramen in front of him. It was torture as Kushina watched her sensei snap his chopsticks into two._

_ "Now which one should I start with?" He pondered._

_ Something inside Kushina snapped and with leaves exploding behind her she leapt down. "No!" She cried. "You can't eat both Sensei!"_

_ Kushina threw herself down next to Sakumo and snatched a second pair of chopsticks from the bag he had in front of him. "You'll get fat," she told him bluntly._

_ Sakumo suppressed a smile. Uzumaki Kushina was one of the very, very few people in the village who would dare tell the White Fang that he was getting a little tubby around the middle._

_ Kushina promptly began to guzzle the ramen._

_ "You've cut your hair again," Sakumo stated._

_ Kushina paused and fingered a torn lock. Fury, loneliness and desperation to be accepted had caused her to slash her hair again last night. She'd been so vicious that she had accidentally cut her cheek with the rusty kunai and her hair had been reduced to a scraggy crew cut. Sadly, much to Kushina's anguish, by the time the sun had risen the next day no evidence of her cut was to be seen and her red hair had grown to a messy crop._

_ "So," Kushina scowled and she gave her hair a sharp tug. Suddenly Sakumo reached out and gently took her hand away from her hair. Then he placed his hand on top of her head._

_ "Are you proud of your Whirlpool roots?" He asked her._

_ "Of course," Kushina rolled her eyes; giving Sakumo a look that told him he was clearly a moron._

_ "Then why do you abuse them so much?" He said._

_ Kushina's eyes widened. She opened her mouth then closed it again. For the first time in her life Uzumaki Kushina was speechless._

_ Sakumo ruffled her hair and he sat back. "You're Uzumaki Kushina," he told her as his eyes crinkled up into a smile. "A kunoichi of both Whirlpool and Konoha. I know that with enough hard work, everyone will be forced to recognise you for who _you_ are… Not who they think you are."_

Sensei… Sakumo-sensei had been the first person in the whole of the village to recognise her. Kushina owed him everything.

She walked through Konoha with her hands stuffed in her pockets. Last night she had tried to return to the Hatake house but found it impossible. For the first time in her life, Kushina hadn't felt welcome in the compound. The training scarecrow had stared at her with disgust, the windows sagged with disappointment and the compound walls shot accusations at her.

The guilt had been too great and instead she'd rented a room in an inn for the night. The old self-hatred she used to harbour as a child reared its ugly head. Kushina found a part of her _wanting_ Minato to hate her. It was the least she deserved.

With a dark look, Kushina body flickered from the town centre and into the third training grounds. She knew she'd have to face Sensei eventually. She'd have to tell him that her promise to protect Kakashi lay in pieces. However right now she found that her feet refused to lead her to the memorial.

Instead a tumult of emotions raged inside her. A furious scream was ripped from her throat and Kushina hurled a fist at the nearest tree. She was rewarded with a shower of wood and the bark splintered.

Again and again Kushina pounded the tree with feverish sobs. She felt a presence appear behind her but at that point she'd stopped caring. Finally, with a mournful groan, the tree toppled.

Kushina stared at the abused trunk with her chest heaving. She'd witnessed so much destruction her life. Whirlpool lay in ruins, a mere ghost of what the beautiful island used to be. She had seen so much death in her life and the second war still gave her nightmares. But…

Kushina's eyes glazed over. She recalled the first day when she had arrived home after the war. At every movement she had jumped, that was until she had walked into Sensei's compound. She had found a small boy, who was at the most four years old, sitting on the porch steps with his legs swinging. He had been in what appeared to be a very deep conversation with on of Sensei's summons. Kushina had been entranced by the wonderful innocence and she had simply stood as she watched the boy.

The boy then had noticed her and gave Kushina a curious look. Then, once he had assessed that she wasn't a threat, his face had lit up into the most beautiful smile. That smile… That smile was something Kushina would never forget. From then on she had vowed to make Kakashi's life full of happiness so he would always have that smile upon his face.

Kushina tore her gaze from the tree and turned to see Minato. He always did this. No matter how strong Kushina's rage was he would never leave her side. Just like all of those times when he used to watch her fight the boys at academy, Minato would be a sea of calm. He never flinched or told her to stop. Even when she'd taken her anger out on Minato and had spat at him. He simply had just stood there as the saliva dribbled down his face.

"What do you want?" She sighed.

"It's not your fault," he told her.

"Don't take the blame like some heroic idiot," she snorted. "Anyway what makes you think-"

"You're crying," Minato stated simply.

Kushina jerked and furiously wiped her eyes. Uzumaki Kushina did not cry.

Minato took a step forwards and she took a step backwards. It was always like this between them, a dance of unsaid words and mysterious actions.

"Now who's acting like a heroic idiot?" He teased with a small smile.

"Go do something constructive," Kushina sighed.

"Kakashi will come home," Minato told her. "I know he will."

His eyes blazed with determination, the same determination that inspired troops on the battlefield.

"Of course he will," Kushina scoffed. "You wait. I'll give him a telling off of a lifetime when he comes home."

Minato smiled and said, "That's the Kushina I know."

But she wasn't. She wasn't the Kushina he thought she was. Kushina turned away but suddenly she felt something tug at her hair. Minato's reactions had always been fast, even as a child.

"Always the hair," she muttered as Minato released her.

Kushina turned to see Minato pull something from his flak jacket pocket.

"You could have a thousand tailed-beasts inside you for all I care," Minato shrugged as he pulled out a small lock of hair. Kushina's eyes dilated as he held the crimson lock to the light.

"That's nice," She muttered as she felt a traitorous blush creep upon her cheeks.

"But you'll always be Uzumaki Kushina to me, I'll always love you for who you are, the kunoichi of Whirlpool and Konoha," Minato smiled as he placed the lock of hair back into his flak jacket.

Kushina froze.

A soft breeze whispered past them. Minato stood there and it clear he was waiting for her to speak. Kushina didn't know how to react. Was this some kind of joke? Should she hit him? Or laugh? Perhaps she should just run away? Instead she settled for something more moderate.

"What did you say?" She breathed, her voice slightly hoarse.

"I…" Minato faltered. "I-"

"You said you loved me," she accused, her hands beginning to shake.

"Well… Err yes…" Minato muttered. "That is the general idea of a confession…"

Minato made a move towards Kushina but he suddenly seemed to think better of it as his foot paused in mid air. He stood there for a moment as if he was about to hop on the spot. Then, Minato took two steps backwards.

"Anyway," he cleared his throat awkwardly. "That's all I wanted to say… Thanks for listening… I'll just be going now."

But he didn't have a chance. Kushina surged forwards. She seized Minato's flak jacket with her fist raised.

Minato didn't even flinch. He simply stared at her, his eyes so full of trust. For the first time Kushina saw the sheer amount of love in those eyes. It was terrifying, exhilarating but most of all calming. Suddenly Kushina's confusion ebbed away and her hand sunk to her side. A wonderful tranquillity seemed to fill her and her grip on Minato's flak jacket only seemed to tighten.

With serene eyes, Kushina slowly dragged Minato towards her and finally she kissed him.

* * *

><p>Three days after they had returned from the mission, Rin was walking across the red bridge that ran over the Naka River.<p>

Minato-sensei had assured her that Kumo would treat Kakashi well. Rin believed him, however it didn't mean that it would stop her worrying. What was more, she hadn't seen Obito since they'd returned. He hadn't been at any of his usual favourite haunts. Minato said he'd seen him once but that was it.

Rin was anxious. It wasn't like Obito to wallow in misery. He'd always been so driven, so determined. She knew it wasn't in his blood to give up.

She stopped and leant against the bridge railings. The trees running along the riverbank were bare, stripped by winter of their leaves.

"It's a shame," a voice suddenly called out, causing Rin to turn. "You should come here when the cherry blossoms flower, you'd love it."

Rin smiled as she saw Obito walk up the bridge. "I'd like that," she told him.

Obito had his hands stuffed in his pockets and his usually smiling face was dark.

"Frowning doesn't suit you," she told him.

"It's too Uchiha-ish, I know," Obito sighed. He vaulted onto the bridge railing and swung his body so his legs were dangling over the edge.

Other than stories about Shisui and Itachi, it was incredibly rare for Obito to talk about his clan. So Rin leapt up onto the railing and joined him.

"You have your sharingan now though," she said softly as she recalled his crimson eyes in their battle against the Kumo ANBU. "You've achieved part of your dream."

"Yeah, right," Obito said bitterly and he pulled his orange goggles over his eyes. Rin hated it when he did that. It felt as if Obito was trying to shut out the world.

"You know the first thing that I felt when I walked into the compound was not the feeling of being welcomed," Obito said. "It expectation. People were expecting me to tell them that I had awakened the sharingan."

"Did you?" Rin asked.

"I tried," Obito muttered. "I did but I just… I was so angry with them and with Kakashi... I mean Aunt Mikoto was glad to see me… But I could still see the expectation in her eyes. I just couldn't."

Obito's shoulders hunched and he clenched his fists. "They just won't accept me for who I am," he whispered.

Rin was tempted to hug Obito but decided against it. Boys could always be a bit unpredictable when it came to emotional gestures and as her teammate Obito may take it the wrong way.

"Kushina once told me that with enough hard work people will be forced to recognise you for who _you_ are and not who they think you are," Rin said. She offered Obito a small smile. "I know you'll be able to do that, Obito."

Obito yanked up his goggles to reveal wide, dark eyes. Then… Slowly his face lit up into a wide smile. "Thank, Rin," he beamed.

Instantly, Rin found herself smiling. She looked up into the clear sky and said, "Kushina is amazing don't you think?"

Over the years of training with Kushina, Rin had found herself admiring the woman. Soon enough her hero worship for Tsunade had vanished. However Rin didn't want to be a kunoichi who was wild and crazy like Kushina. No, instead she wanted to be a kunoichi who was recognised in her own right. Someone who had Kushina's beauty, strength and confidence but who also had Tsunade's medical skill and intelligence.

"Yeah she is," Obito agreed.

Understanding flickered between the two of them. It didn't matter whether Kushina was a jinchuriki. What truly mattered was her love for Kakashi, her comrades and her village.

"Kakashi will come home," Obito said and his eyes suddenly burned with renewed energy. "I know he will because I'll train so hard that I will drag Kakashi back to Konoha and force him to remember us! I don't care if this is a promise of a lifetime. I _will_ bring him back. I promise!"

Rin's eyes widened. She knew that this was something Obito would uphold for the rest of his life, even if it killed him.

"No," she whispered and gently she placed her hand on his shoulder. "I don't want to see you killing yourself on your own to uphold a promise like that. This is something we'll do together. As part of Team 7."

The winter sunshine bounced off Obito's goggles as he grinned and he held out a hand. With newfound confidence, Rin took it and they shook hands.

_We're coming Kakashi, _Rin thought. _It doesn't matter how long it takes us… We'll help you remember and bring you back home to Konoha. We promise._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: End of third arc! There will now be a two year time skip.**

**Kakashi's Summoning Contract: This is more of a piece of additional information, one that I couldn't fit into the actual plot, but the reviewers** nightliliesu **and** La Wei** raised an interesting question about what would happen to Kakashi's summons. The contract has been effectively suspended as he no longer has the necessary bond that he had with the pack since he was a child. The contract is part of his inheritance from Sakumo and also a key part of his identity, much like Naruto's contract with the toads. So as he cannot remember signing/existence of the contract he cannot summon the ninken. Hope that all makes sense!**

**Thanks for reading, following and faving this. Also special thanks goes to those of you who've added this to a C2 and those who've reviewed. Hope you enjoyed the arc and the chapter!**


	21. Arc IV: Rise: Chapter 20

**23/8/12 - A/N: This arc takes place two years later, kind of like a 'Kakashi Shippuden'. The pace may seem slow at first but I want to lay down new sub plots and connect others. Things will speed up later on. ****Happy reading!**

* * *

><p><strong>Arc IV: Rising from the Clouds<strong>

**Chapter 20**

Kurosawa Takahiro was not a foolish man by any means. As a missing-nin of Kiri and now a mercenary leader he had the ability to assess a situation and enough experience to predict the enemy's strategy. Though honestly… Who would have guessed that the Third Raikage had been such a monster? Half a year ago the man had taken on an army of ten thousand men in a suicidal stand. That guy surely hadn't been human. In any case, those that had been left alive such as Takahiro and the remaining rebels had dispersed into the north of Lightning Country.

However, now it seemed that some local noble had gone crying to the new Raikage about Takahiro's abuse and exploitation of the northern area. The Fourth Raikage probably wanted revenge anyway too since camp after camp had been eliminated by Kumo. Now all they had was the central port in the north.

Takahiro had taken the attitude that he had merely helped the north fulfil its potential. After all who wouldn't dominate the shipping trade and kill their competitors? Common sense dictated to demand tolls on the roads. It was also a waste not to send women and children to work in the local quarry.

No, it was best to make his getaway now. After all Takahiro had heard about what had happened to the other mercenary leaders.

"Kurosawa-san!" Two young men burst into Takahiro's study.

"Yes?" Takahiro snapped.

"Kumo has attacked the quarry," the first man said, his face covered in nervous sweat. Takahiro was not a man to displease. "The… The… S-slaves have been… Um released."

"What?" Takahiro roared. "We had our strongest men guarding the quarry."

"They… Took us by surprise," the second muttered. "They are ninja after all."

"By surprise?" Takahiro snarled. He stepped forwards and grabbed the youth by his throat. "I've lived through a ninja war _boy_. Don't tell me how ninja act."

The young man's eyes bulged and he feebly scrabbled at Takahiro's hand. Takahiro snorted in disgust. The young were pathetic, lazy things nowadays. It was clear that this child had lived a far too privileged life. When Takahiro was his age he'd already fought in the bloodiest of wars, the Second Ninja War. He'd killed countless of men and had trained the notorious child soldiers of Kiri.

With a vicious twist Takahiro broke the young man's neck.

"You," Takahiro said as he dropped the body with disgust. "Take this piece of trash out and get the ships ready. We're leaving this shithole of a country and those Kumo scum."

The remaining man dragged his dead comrade away and shut the door of the study. Takahiro shook his head and picked up his bottle of sake, taking a long slug of the alcohol.

Suddenly the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Takahiro slammed the bottle onto the desk and hurled a kunai behind him.

The old man turned to see a shadow in the corner. The figure held Takahiro's kunai between two fingers.

"You're pretty good sneaking up on me like that," he growled.

"You flatter me," the figure said. The kunai flashed as it spun between the person's fingers. This person was no stranger when it came to handling blades it seemed.

"Kumo ANBU assassin then?" Takahiro narrowed his eyes. "You sound a bit young."

"Kumo doesn't need to send an ANBU out for someone of your level," the figure said in a bored tone. "I was going to kill you in your sleep like I did to the rest of your comrades… But I've changed my mind. Scum like you do not deserve mercy."

Takahiro snorted, "What makes a boy like you think he can kill me?"

"Because you're already dead," the figure whispered.

A gasp was ripped from Takahiro as cold, blinding pain filled his body. His eyes dilated and the sound of chirping electricity met his ears. Jerking his head down, Takahiro gazed in disbelief as a blue blade, surrounded by white lightning, glowed back at him. The kodachi seemed to be alive as the electricity crackled and chirped with raw energy.

"H-how?" He choked as blood dribbled down his chin. How hadn't he even sensed the Kumo nin move? The figure standing in the corner hadn't been a clone… He'd just moved so fast…

The kodachi was wrenched away from Takahiro's body and he collapsed to his knees with a groan. Still partially hidden by the shadows, the Kumo nin moved in front of him. Takahiro's head jolted upwards and his eyes met with his killer's. Steely, grey irises that were full of self-assurance.

"You made two mistakes," the Kumo nin said lazily as he pressed his sword to Takahiro's jugular. "One you killed your subordinate and two you insulted my country. Both are unforgiveable."

"W-wait…" Takahiro groaned. "You… You must be-"

But the mercenary leader never managed to finish his sentence. As at that moment, with one swift slash, the Kumo nin eliminated his target.

* * *

><p><em>24<em>_th__ March 775_

_Dear Uchiha Obito,_

_After reviewing your current progress and mission performance it gives me great pleasure in informing you-_

"Hey!" Obito said as the letter was snatched out of his hands.

Shisui who had scarily fast reflexes for a ten year old flashed Obito a smirk. Scanning the letter his eyes suddenly widened and he exclaimed, "No way! You've been promoted to jonin?"

"Yep," Obito said grabbing the letter off his younger cousin. He continued to read:

_-on your promotion to jonin rank. As a jonin there are now a number of privileges available to you such as access to the jonin lounge, more paid holidays and also higher wages*._

_ However the rank is of one the greatest honours of a ninja. You now uphold an example to those of lower ranks and also are in a position of leadership. As-_

"You never told me you were going get promoted," Shisui accused with a scowl.

Obito sighed. Folding the letter, he slipped it into his flak jacket pocket. He knew he shouldn't have opened the letter at the breakfast table.

"Well you only passed the chunin exams last week," Obito told him and he ruffled Shisui's hair. "I didn't want to steal your thunder."

"No you wouldn't have," Shisui argued. "We could have had a joint party. It would have been so cool and Aunt Mikoto would have had baked you a cake too."

Obito sincerely doubted that. It would have caused the Uchiha Clan even greater shame when they found out that a member who 'didn't possess the sharingan' was now a high-ranking ninja.

"You're hiding something," Shisui narrowed his eyes. "You're so secretive now. Never training around us. You're hardly ever in the compound and when you go off on missions you only leave a note on the fridge."

"At least I leave a note," Obito shrugged.

He knew that Shisui and Itachi have been following him in their free time. Luckily he knew a certain kunoichi who had an exceptional talent when it came to sealing barriers. Having trained with Rin for so long she had developed a barrier so that even sharingan users had trouble analysing and penetrating it.

"At least let me see the rest of the letter," Shisui huffed.

Obito grinned and pulled it out from his pocket. The two cousins huddled over the wad of paper.

_-you are now a jonin there are now a number of career options available to you. As well taking part in high-ranking missions such as A and S rank, you are able to choose and lead lower ranking missions. Remember it is important that you choose your team on ability and suitability for the mission. Similarly, if you perform well this could also lead to a career in ANBU or a teaching post as a jonin instructor*._

_Congratulations on your new rank and all the best for the future._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Namikaze Minato, Fourth Hokage_

_*= Please note that any damage done to the jonin lounge is considered to be an act of vandalism and will be deducted from your wages. Higher wages will also depend on the danger of the mission and it is strongly recommended to take out life insurance. We have many great deals for new jonin!_

_*=Careers in ANBU and in teaching are invitation __**ONLY**__ by the Hokage._

"Sensei really has brought on a lot more paperwork on himself by writing all the letters," Obito muttered as he folded up the letter and slipped it into his flak jacket. He suppressed a laugh as he remembered seeing Minato buried under paperwork yesterday.

"Hey we could go out for lunch today?" Shisui suggested. "To celebrate?"

"I'd like that," Obito gave Shisui a sneaky grin. "So you and Itachi are treating me?"

"No fair," Shisui laughed. "That means I'll have to pay because Itachi is still in academy."

"So I'll take that as a yes then," Obito grinned. "Itachi is so picky about his food so usual place at one?"

"I'll see you there," Shisui said.

After giving his cousin's hair another quick ruffle, Obito pulled on his shin length sandals and body flickered from the flat. Having learnt how to body flicker six months ago Obito used to use the technique to travel everywhere. Now however the novelty had worn off and the technique only really came in handy so he didn't have to walk through the compound anymore.

Appearing on the Naka Bridge Obito stretched and rumpled his hair with a yawn. Once he'd ceased caring about what the clan thought of him Obito's appearance had become increasingly dishevelled over the years. His regulation ninja clothes were all black, mostly to hide the fact he was incapable at ironing rather than to keep with the Uchiha colours, with the clan symbol sewn on his sleeve.

Aunt Mikoto was constantly moaning at him to get his haircut saying that at the rate he was going he'd be the spitting image of Uchiha Madara by the time he was twenty. Obito thought that was just a bit of an exaggeration. He looked nothing like _that _nutcase. Sure his hair had grown remarkably shaggy and was a mess of unruly spikes, but it was nowhere near as long as Sensei's or Jiraiya's. Though he did have a fine layer of stubble, Asuma was well on the way to having a fully-grown beard. So Obito really didn't think he looked that bad.

As he walked down the path that was lined with cherry blossoms, Obito pulled up his faithful orange goggles and grinned. Pleasant spring sunshine filtered through the leaves, highlighting the minute veins. Small, delicate buds decorated their way along the branches. Tiny presents of hope just waiting for the right moment to be opened.

Every time Obito walked under these trees he was always reminded of Rin. A determined gleam filled his eyes. This year, this year would be the one. He could feel it. When the cherry blossoms were in full bloom he'd bring Rin here. He'd stare into those beautiful hazel eyes and release her hair from the ponytail she always wore now. Then confess how much he loved her and then-

Obito mentally slapped himself. His shoulders slumped. There was no way on this planet that that was going to happen. Though he had seen less and less of Rin lately since she'd been promoted to special jonin in the medical corps, they still met up in their free time. She was his friend, comrade and teammate. All of that was too precious to risk for some stupid, clichéd confession.

Genma was constantly telling him to get a life and get a girlfriend. About a half a year when they went out for Asuma's birthday Obito had tried to go along with Genma's advice after he'd been practically shoved into a girl's lap. For the life of him he couldn't remember the girl's name but the encounter had been all too excruciating. It'd been full sloppy clashes of teeth rather than kisses as the girl had awkwardly groped him, while Obito had been wondering where the hell he was supposed to put his hands. To make matters worse Rin had teased Obito about the girl the next day. That was the first and last time he was ever going to go with Genma's advice.

Obito sighed as he made it into the centre of Konoha. As always the Saturday market was full of a riot of noise and colour. As part of a recent project to restart the economy and improve relations with other countries the Fourth Hokage had invited several different merchants and peddlers into the village. The street was now full of exotic aromas as street hawkers fried food in preparation for lunchtime. As the smell of sizzling meat and fresh spices invaded Obito's senses, his stomach growled.

Silk scarves from Hot Water Country waved at Obito from a stall and huge vegetables glowed proudly in the sun from Grass Country. Occasionally Obito liked to buy groceries from that stall to recreate some of the same curries and broths he had tried while posted out in Grass Country. One time, when he had visited a town with some of the other troops, he'd managed to charm a lady into giving him a recipe.

In a strange way, Obito found cooking relaxing and since he had vowed to become less dependant on the clan he had told Mikoto that she didn't have to cook for them anymore. His first few attempts at cooking had been a complete disaster with charcoaled meat and a melted pan. But through sheer determination and using Shisui as a guinea pig, Obito could now make meals that were not only edible but also tasty. Even Kushina, who was known for her legendary cooking, had approved of his food and given him a couple of tips. Best of all, Rin loved his food. Which gave Obito an excuse to invite her round so she could try new dishes.

"Excuse me sir," a stall vendor called. "Would you like buy some jewellery for a loved one? A girlfriend? I've got some lovely necklaces here made specially in Wave Country."

"No thanks," Obito smiled and he continued on his way.

Necklace… Obito frowned. He remembered the one he had given to Rin for her thirteenth birthday. Thinking back on it, it was a rather clumsy thing with a round shell attached to a piece of string. Then again, having no money on him at that point of time during the war, Obito had found the shell and had made the necklace himself. He'd been all too glad that it hadn't been lost, as Rin had sent a letter thanking him.

_I wonder if she still has it,_ Obito thought.

"Hey Obito!" A voice called.

Obito turned to see Asuma strolling up the street.

"Asuma," Obito grinned.

"Congrats on a making it to jonin," Asuma said, giving Obito a friendly slap on the back causing him to stumble forwards. "You know I'm surprised you haven't shouted it out to the entire village yet."

"Ah well new rank new maturity," Obito joked with what was meant to be an all too superior nod. They started to walk towards the jonin lounge, since Asuma had been promoted to jonin a couple of weeks ago.

Asuma snorted, "Maturity, that'll be the day."

"Shut up," Obito laughed. "Who was the one who was peeping on the women's hot spring yesterday?"

"Yeah and who's idea was that?" Asuma sniggered.

"Hmm… Must have been some other Uchiha," Obito grinned.

"The true secret of the Uchiha Clan is that they're all perverts," Asuma laughed.

"It's true," Obito nodded with a perfectly straight face. "That's actually what we use our sharingan for. Us and the Hyugas put aside our differences so we can unite in our pervy ways."

The two boys looked at each other and suddenly burst out laughing at the very idea of Uchiha Fugaku and Hyuga Hiashi peeping in on the women's hot spring together.

"It's Jiraiya-san's fault," Obito shrugged after they'd recovered.

"You've got a point," Asuma agreed.

They had discovered Jiraiya yesterday, hiding behind a chimney with a pair of binoculars. The Sannin hadn't been seen in the village for quite a few months so they boys had gone over to investigate.

Obito remembered the keen interest in his eyes when Jiraiya remarked that he remembered seeing Obito during the chunin exams and about his unusual choice of summon. Jiraiya then had attempted to persuade them to help him with his research. Alarm bells had gone off in Obito's head as one of the first things he'd been taught by Minato was never, ever help Jiraiya with his research. It was only after the Sannin said it could possibly involve girls who they liked that Asuma and Obito had decided to help him. They _were_ teenage boys after all. Jiraiya had told them to just think of it as bird watching. Obito just hadn't expected the nosebleed and he'd felt slightly disappointed that Rin hadn't been there.

"Oh yeah Genma's organising something for tonight to celebrate," Asuma warned him.

"Right," Obito nodded. "Who's going?"

Suddenly it struck him as slightly sad that he had no idea who was going to turn up to his own celebration.

"Usual people," Asuma said. "Ebisu and Gai are on a mission but I'll be there, so will Kurenai, Rin and Ko. Genma's going to bring Raido and Aoba too… He'll probably round up some people that we don't know… Apart from that pretty much everyone will be there."

"Everyone… Huh…" Obito muttered softly. He suddenly stopped and stared up at the Hokage Monument.

Four stone faces gazed down upon the village. He remembered Kushina storming up there and telling the sculptors that Minato's nose was actually not that perfect but it was actually slightly off centre.

A sad smile tugged at Obito's lips. He, Uchiha Obito the class dropout, was a jonin. Asuma, Gai and he were now the three highest-ranking ninja of their age groups. Ko, Kurenai and Ebisu were still chugging away as chunin. Though Genma liked to boast that Raido, he and some other guy whose name Obito couldn't remember were having lessons with the Hokage Genma was still a special jonin. Like Rin he was now a rank lower than Obito.

However… Obito suddenly stopped and stared at the past and present Hokage. There was one person who he wished could be there tonight. The person Obito had been chasing for his entire life. For a moment he wondered whether Kakashi was a fully-fledged Kumo ninja now. Most likely. Grudgingly, Obito knew that Kakashi would have probably flown through the ranks. The guy was a stuck up genius after all.

"Obito?" Asuma said.

Obito jerked and gave his friend a sheepish grin. "Sorry," he said. "Spaced out."

Asuma shook his head and they continued to walk.

Obito clenched his fists. He still stuck by his promise and he knew Rin did too. Both of them had trained tirelessly over the past two years, which was why they'd been promoted at such a young age. Kakashi was going to come home. Even if they had to fight and he had to drag him back to Konoha. Obito intended to stick by his promise, even if it killed him.

* * *

><p>"White Demon?" Minato glanced up from the letter he'd been writing.<p>

Enraged shrieks from women had filled the village yesterday informing the Hokage that his sensei had indeed finally returned from his travels.

"I heard rumours while I was in Lightning Country," Jiraiya said. "Since the Third Raikage died half a year ago they've been finishing off the remnants of the rebels in the north."

"What were they?" Minato asked as he set his pen down.

"The rumours vary from fairly plausible to downright ridiculous," Jiraiya admitted. "However from what I've gathered is that before Kumo attack a rebel camp the leader is always found dead in his bed."

Minato nodded. It was a clever tactic. Assassinating the leader would leave the rest of the troops in chaos. Most mercenaries would desert leaving Kumo the simple task of routing the stragglers.

"Apparently the Kumo assassin is a young man who's possessed by a demon spirit from the clouds," Jiraiya told him. "Who carries a blade made from lightning."

Minato's eyes narrowed. "I see," he said. "That could possibly mean that-"

"Kakashi's finished his training," Jiraiya agreed. "I wouldn't be surprised. After all Sakumo was a legend by the age of eighteen."

Minato sighed. It was a difficult situation. Though Kumo certainly had been weakened and Konoha's economy was back on its feet, retrieving Kakashi would certainly not be easy. Especially if Kakashi was the cause of the rumours, then Minato knew his student wouldn't give in without a fight.

"Oh and another thing," Jiraiya said. "There have been some rumours that children have been disappearing from Land of Frost."

Minato's head jerked as he remembered when children had started to disappear from Fire Country around seven or eight years ago. The disappearances had stopped when the team Minato had been part of had discovered the only survivor, a small boy who possessed the DNA of Senju Hashirama. They never found the culprit behind it however Minato had always had his suspicions as to who it was.

"It could be nothing," Jiraiya shrugged.

"I'll send a team out to investigate," Minato told him. "Where did you hear the rumours?"

"A trading town called Koori," Jiraiya said.

Minato's eyes widened slightly as he remembered the very eventful B ranked mission that had taken place with Team 7 in that town.

"Koori huh?" Minato smiled sadly. "I think I know just the ninja who will be able to lead that mission."

Jiraiya's face suddenly brightened and he said, "I just remembered. I have a gift for you."

Minato raised an eyebrow as his sensei began to rummage around his pockets.

"Hmm now I had it in here somewhere," Jiraiya frowned. "Hang on a second."

He began to pull various strange items out and dumped them onto Minato's desk. A couple of dog-eared notepads followed by half chewed pencils. Next was a rather racy magazine, a pair of binoculars, a fold up telescope, some of explosive tags and a thong.

Minato eyed the thong warily and sincerely hoped that Kushina wouldn't walk into the office at that moment.

"Ah here it is," Jiraiya said as he threw down what appeared to be an extremely squashed centipede.

Minato stared at the large, purple insect for a moment. "Thank you Sensei," he rubbed the back of his head. "I really don't know what to say."

"Wait no that's for Fukasaku," Jiraiya said quickly and he scooped up the centipede. "I owe him a meal." The centipede disappeared back into his haori.

"Ah here it is," Jiraiya grinned and he pulled out a book.

Minato's curiosity piqued as he read the title: _The Tale of an Utterly Gutsy Shinobi_.

He flipped open the cover to see a grinning picture of Jiraiya stare back at him. A huge grin spread across Minato's face.

"That's right," Jiraiya nodded with a wide smile. "You're indeed in the presence of a published author."

"I can't believe you made it," Minato beamed.

"What are you suggesting?" Jiraiya held a hand to his heart in mock injury. "… Even if no one may have turned up to the book launch…"

"I can't wait to read it," Minato told him with excitement. "Kushina will want to read it too."

"Ah yes," Jiraiya gave Minato a wicked grin. "Tired of married life yet?"

"Of course not," Minato laughed, slightly dazed as he thought of his wife. "Speaking of which Kushina's making dinner tonight. You have to come. We have some very important news for you."

"Oh?" Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "Good news I hope?"

Minato gave his old sensei his brightest smile. "Definitely," he answered, "The best kind."

* * *

><p>Mikoto smiled as she watched Shisui and Itachi chatter in the small café. Well Shisui was the one chattering. Itachi was just listening to his best friend.<p>

"So anyway he can make a tree sprout out of the ground just like _that_," Shisui said, snapping his fingers as he talked about one of the chunin he'd met.

Itachi nodded not saying anything but Mikoto knew her son was paying his fullest attention to Shisui. That was the wonderful thing about Itachi. Though quiet and reserved, he would shower those he loved with utmost attentiveness. It was funny. Itachi used to be such a happy toddler when he was younger however after the war he began to withdraw into himself. She had no idea what had happened to his beloved cat, Shissy, the painfully orange soft toy he used to drag around with him everywhere.

"Obi-nii is late again," Shisui, sighed.

"Only by fifteen minutes," Itachi pointed out.

Sure enough there was Obito who appeared at the entrance of the café with a smile. "Sorry I'm late," he grinned as he approached the table. "I got lost on the road of life."

"That's a lie," Shisui and Itachi said in unison as Mikoto sighed.

"Hey I didn't know you were coming Aunt Mikoto," Obito said as he sat down next to her.

The sixteen year old looked so wary that Mikoto felt a twinge of hurt. She didn't know why Obito felt like he couldn't tell her about his promotion. Mikoto had always desperately rooted for the boy. There was something about him that made the compound light up, even in his clumsier years. Both Mikoto and Fugaku wanted him to do well, after all Obito's father had been Fugaku's best friend. Obito had no idea but Fugaku had looked up to Obito's father and he'd been devastated when his friend had been killed in the Second War. Sometimes Mikoto wished that her husband would be more open.

The even sadder thing was that Fugaku always had the tendency to set his standards a little high. Mikoto knew it was unintentional but as the head of the clan and as a prodigy himself, Fugaku was always looking for the best. No wonder they'd been disappointed when Obito hadn't awakened his sharingan.

When Obito had returned from the war Fugaku had organised some training sessions with different clan members to see if they could awaken the boy's sharingan. What had started with good intentions had turned into a complete disaster. Though Obito's skills had drastically improved awakening the bloodline appeared impossible causing scorn among the clan members who'd trained him. To make matters worse Obito no longer seemed to understand the _importance_ of the sharingan. He argued with the clan members and in the end abruptly thanked Fugaku but told him that training with his peers would be more beneficial. Of course Fugaku had never forgotten the debacle of Obito's summoning technique and he'd been enraged that the boy was refusing training from the clan. Relationships between Obito and Fugaku had been icy ever since then.

The whole situation broke Mikoto's heart. All those times Obito used to run around the compound declaring that he'd awakened his bloodline… Now it appeared that he never would. Even worse it seemed that Obito had given up on his dream.

"Well Shisui told me about you promotion so I thought I'd treat you," she told him. "Congratulations."

Obito's face broke out into a relaxed smile. "Thanks, Aunt Mikoto," he said.

Mikoto sneakily studied her nephew from behind her menu. He had really grown up into a handsome boy. The childish, round face was replaced with lean features and he was taller than Fugaku now. Obito really did look like his mother however his smile was the image of his father's. Maybe that was why Fugaku found it so hard to look at the boy sometimes.

However, though he was a good-looking sixteen-year-old, he was a teenager in desperate need of a haircut.

"Obito," Mikoto started.

"Aunt Mikoto," Obito said, staring intently as his menu, though by the tone of his voice he knew exactly what she was going to say.

"Your hair really is getting out of hand," she sighed.

"I'm not going to look like Uchiha Madara," he laughed. "I would never let it get that long."

"At least shave then," she offered as a compromise.

Obito ran a hand over his stubble and said, "I kind of like-"

"The homeless look?" Itachi muttered causing Shisui to burst out laughing.

Obito gave Itachi an evil smile. He leant over the table and began to mess up Itachi's hair with a fist. "We can't all look perfect like you, Tach'," he laughed. Obito glanced at Shisui and added, "And you can stop smirking too. At least my hair doesn't look like it's been dragged through a bush."

Obito released Itachi and sat back down. Mikoto let out a small laugh as she saw that her son's hair now resembled a bird's nest.

"Ha ha now you look like me," Shisui laughed looking at his friend.

Itachi rolled his eyes with a small smile as he ran a hand through his tangled locks.

After they'd made their orders and the food had arrived Obito suddenly asked, "Hey Aunt Mikoto, when's the baby due?"

Mikoto smiled and laid a hand on her melon sized belly. "July," she told him.

"Brother or sister?" Obito said to Itachi.

Itachi looked at his mother for a moment with warm, assessing eyes. Then slowly he smiled, "I don't really mind."

"You'll be a cool big brother," Shisui told him. "Just like Obito."

Mikoto smiled. In all honesty, if Itachi acted in the way Obito did with Shisui, her son would be the perfect older brother.

They continued to eat and slowly Mikoto found herself growing warm, which had nothing to do with her pregnancy. It was such a long time since she'd spent time with Obito like this and she realised how much she missed him. What had happened to that sweet, clumsy boy who was desperate to please his clan? If it weren't for the jokes, his smile and goggles, Mikoto would find it hard to recognise the teenage jonin sitting next to her.

Just as they'd finished their food a soft voice suddenly called, "Obito."

The four of them looked up from their empty plates to see a beautiful girl approach their table. Mikoto could see Kushina's influence all over the girl, sharing similar style of dress with her sleeveless turquoise tunic over a mesh shirt. A black obi accentuated her waist and she wore simple black leggings. Just as Mikoto had trained Kushina in the ways of hair care, Kushina had evidently done the same with this girl. The girl's shiny brown hair was tied in a low side-ponytail and it tumbled far past her left shoulder.

"Rin!" Shisui grinned. "Hey Obito it's your girlfriend!"

The tips of Obito's ears turned red and he hissed, "Seriously Shisui how many times do I have to tell you? Rin's not my girlfriend."

Itachi smirked and Shisui had a decidedly evil grin upon his face.

"Behave," Mikoto whispered.

"Hey Rin," Obito grinned and he sat up a little straighter much to Mikoto's amusement.

"Hey Obito," Rin said. She then smiled, "Hello Mikoto-san, Shisui, Itachi."

"Sen-I mean Hokage-sama wants to see you," she told Obito.

"Now?" Obito asked.

"Yes," she said in an apologetic tone. Then a slight teasing smile graced her mouth and she added, "Though I'm sure he's expecting you to be late."

Obito rumpled his hair sheepishly. "Good point," he laughed. "Thanks, Rin."

"Anyway I've got to go," Rin said. She gestured at two other girls who were sitting a few tables away from them. Mikoto recognised one to be Yuhi Kurenai and… Who was that looking decidedly sulky? Mitarashi Anko, that was it. Kushina had told Mikoto that Rin had taken the poor girl under her wing after Orochimaru had abandoned her two years ago. It was a wonderfully kind thing to do since Anko reminded Mikoto of Kushina when she was younger.

"I'll see you tonight," Rin said.

"Yeah see you there," Obito grinned.

Rin turned to Mikoto and said, "Nice to see you." She then headed back to her table.

Out of the corner of her eye Mikoto watched Obito whose eyes were unashamedly drawn to Rin's backside. She cleared her throat rather noisily causing the boy to whip back round.

"Yeah so I better get going," Obito said standing up. "Thanks for the meal, Aunt Mikoto. See you soon Shisui, 'Tach."

Maybe it was hormones that were causing Mikoto to feel so emotional or maybe it was because Obito had grown up so fast. She wasn't entirely sure but Mikoto suddenly wanted to remind Obito that she would always love him. He was part of the Uchiha clan so he was family. She'd always support him and keep hoping that he would awaken his sharingan.

Mikoto opened her mouth to tell him but somehow the words didn't come out. Instead she told him what she always did. "Take care, Obito," she said. "Oh and… Get a haircut."

Obito just laughed. Then he pulled his goggles down over his eyes and left the café.

Mikoto's smile faded and she gently rubbed her abdomen. _Fugaku, _she thought sadly. _Was there anything more we could have done for the boy?_

* * *

><p>A was not happy. He stared at the tottering pile of paperwork upon his desk, willing the paper to explode.<p>

"All you need to do is stamp 'accept' for these," Mabui, his new secretary told him.

When A had become Raikage Darui had immediately put his friend Mabui forward as the Raikage's assistant. The young woman was incredibly intelligent, a skilled kunoichi but also had the patience of a saint. Without her cool organisation Kumo would probably be in tatters.

"Right," A grunted.

"Remember that you need to review the tax economy," Mabui reminded him.

A suppressed the urge to ram his fist into the desk.

"You have a meeting with the council at one o'clock as well," Mabui told him. "Also B-sama has been err refusing to co-operate about being sent to the Valley of Cloud and Lightning to train again. He wants to be sent out on a mission."

A snapped. He leapt up and hurled a fist into his desk causing it to shatter into two. Paper whirled around in one furious storm. Without a single flinch, Mabui casually dusted away some splinters from her clothes.

"Damn it tell B that if he doesn't remain within this village I _will_ iron claw him again," A shouted. "He's to be the guardian of Kumo. That's his mission. The council can wait until tomorrow when I've finished this paper work and reviewing the tax-whatever it is."

"Is that all?" Mabui asked in her usual calm voice.

"No where the hell is Darui's team?" A demanded. "They should have finished their operation of clearing up the north by now."

"We're right here Boss," said a lazy voice. Three ninja walked into the office, slightly tired in their travel stained clothes.

"Sorry we're late," Darui said in his usual humble way. "Ah… I see you managed to get through another desk again…" He and Mabui exchanged similarly amused glances.

"Here's our report," C said, handing it to him. "Darui and Kakashi's were… Well, written in the usual state so I compiled the three together."

A snorted taking the report form C. Sometimes he wondered whether it had been a mistake giving Darui the task of being Kakashi's sensei. The boy was so laid back now that in a few years time he'd be horizontal.

"All the rebels eliminated?" He asked.

"Completely," Darui nodded.

"Good work," A said appreciatively. He glanced at the youngest member of the team, looking forward to reading about the boy's progress. Though the task of cleaning up the north had been a dangerous one he knew that it had been the perfect way to test Kakashi's training without the boy leaving Lightning Country. If the rumours were true then the fifteen year old had more than passed the test.

"You three have the next three days off and then I want you to take another mission," A told them.

He bent down a scooped up a scroll from the debris. Darui took it from him.

"Children have been vanishing from Frost Country," A explained. "The Shimo nins can't find an explanation so they've asked for our help. Most of the disappearances have been occurring in the trading town of Koori."

A had been slightly hesitant about sending Kakashi out to a foreign country but he not only did he trust Darui and C, but he also trusted Kakashi's skills. Luckily as they were working together with the Shimo nins and Koori was reasonably near the border he knew that Kakashi would be relatively safe. Having talked and watched the boy grow over the past two years, A had grown to like Kakashi. The boy had not recovered a single memory either, a testament to how the strong the seal was.

"Got it," Darui nodded as he slipped the mission scroll into his pocket.

"Now go and rest," A told them. "It's good to have you back."

Darui gave A a lazy grin and C nodded. Finally, the youngest member of the team spoke. Kakashi smiled and added, "Yeah… It's good to be home."


	22. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

One of the first lessons in academy was that a ninja must always maintain the balance of strength and intelligence. This, however, is not entirely the case. Contrary to popular belief this balance would only lead most ninja to the post of chunin. To follow the path of jonin or even the supposedly illustrious career of ANBU, Obito had realised that four things were required.

Strength was a more ambiguous term than anything. Skill was far more accurate and Obito knew that with his now wide range of techniques he had that in abundance. Intelligence? Well… That had always been a weakness of his. Which was why Obito knew that if he were to face Kakashi he needed more than just guts and powerful techniques. Obito had forced himself to read countless scrolls on chakra control and various books on strategy. Sitting in the library during hot summer days had been the hardest thing he had ever had to do for someone who used constantly fail his academy tests.

Obito's captain, Aburame Shibi, had taught him the third and perhaps most important lesson. Fear. Fear is the instinct that drives a person to live. A drug. It pumps adrenaline, heightens your senses and with the right dosage it can act as your friend. Too much fear can cripple you, however, too little and your bravery descends into sheer idiocy. As Captain Aburame had told Obito, "Only a fool lives without fear."

All his life Obito had been struggling to maintain the balance. At first, on that unforgettable B-rank mission, he'd almost been frozen with terror. During the war however Obito had been far too reckless and only dumb luck had saved him. Once you've found that perfect equilibrium then fear becomes the perfect edge to your training.

"I'm sorry that your celebrations will be cut short," Minato's voice cut through Obito's thoughts.

"Don't worry about it," Obito shrugged and a grin tugged at his lips. "Genma'll be disappointed though."

"This is a reconnaissance mission," Minato told him as he passed Obito the mission scroll. "A-rank."

Obito gulped. He gave the scroll a quick scan and said, "Sensei… This is in-"

"Koori," Minato nodded.

Obito gripped the scroll. He remembered that town all too well. That mission had been full of arguments with Kakashi, the landlady who had tried to kill them and the hauntingly beautiful shrine. For a brief moment Obito wondered if that town had changed since the five and half years they had undertaken that B-ranker.

"There have been rumours about children vanishing from the area," Minato explained. "These reports are very similar to the ones when Orochimaru was kidnapping children from the Fire Country so I've also enclosed some information about the previous incidents."

"What I want you to do is lead a four-man cell team," Minato continued. "You'll be travelling as ambassadors from Konoha to go through certain trade agreements with some of the merchants. While you're in Koori, investigate into these rumours. However whatever you do if you find Orochimaru's whereabouts do _not_ follow him. Understand? Give the location and an ANBU team will be sent out. The mission is simply just to collect information."

"Got it," Obito nodded. "The ranking is only due to the nature of the information right?"

"Exactly," Minato said. "I've been working on relations with Frost recently and as things are improving you won't need to hide your identity like we did last time. Just-"

"Watch out for any Kumo nin," Obito finished grimly. "Don't worry Sensei, we'll be prepared this time."

Minato sighed and said, "Just… Try not to start a war."

"I'll do my best to avoid it," Obito grinned.

"Your teammates' profiles are attached to the scroll," Minato told him. "So familiarise yourself with their abilities and plan your mission accordingly."

Obito nodded and he flicked through the profiles. You needed clearance to access a jonin's file so profiles were just for a quick reference on the person's abilities.

_Nohara Rin… Yamashiro Aoba… Aburame Muta…_ Obito read the names.

The team made sense. Rin would always be an invaluable asset to the team as a medic. For a reconnaissance mission Aoba's skills from the Intelligence Unit were perfect for gathering information. Though Obito would have preferred a Hyuga for this kind of mission, an Aburame was not to be sniffed at. After all having worked under Shibi, at least he was familiar the Aburame clan's kikaichu.

"We'll leave tomorrow morning," Obito assured the Fourth.

"Good luck," Minato smiled.

After Obito left the Hokage's office with the scroll in hand, his smile faded away. Leading a mission was an all too daunting task. His teammates lives were in his hands.

In all honesty Obito hadn't expected to become a jonin so soon. Sure he'd been promoted to chunin at the age of ten but that was only because war had broken out and Konoha had been desperate for new troops. With all of his training and hard work, the promotion had just been an unexpected bonus.

As he descended the steps that led from the Hokage tower, Obito drew in a deep breath of spring air. He gazed up at the sky that had smatterings of grey clouds and pulled down his goggles to shield his eyes from the sun's glare.

Obito loved the way he entered a strange orange tinted world when he had his goggles on. The flashes of vibrant colours from the village were no longer harsh upon his eyes and the detachment helped Obito to relax and think.

He strolled through the streets of Konoha, heading back to the café were Rin had been. A small grin fanned its way across Obito's face as his optimistic side began to break free.

What was the fourth thing that led you to the makings of a great ninja? Well… It was surprisingly obvious. Luck. Sometimes it didn't matter if you had skills that surpassed the Sannin or you possessed the intelligence of a Nara. Obito had seen so many good ninja killed by a stray kunai on the battlefield. Others had been helpless to disease or infection.

Obito didn't consider himself to be particularly lucky. After all, if luck had been on his side then maybe he would have activated his sharingan sooner and Kumo wouldn't have kidnapped Kakashi. However, as someone who'd trained tirelessly to achieve the future he'd dreamed of, Obito was ready to fight destiny if he had to.

_This mission will be a success, _Obito thought as he rumpled his overgrown hair with a smile._ I'll do my best to make Sensei proud… And protect my subordinates too._

Obito chuckled a little and his grin grew. He, Uchiha Obito, had subordinates. Who would have believed that?

With his irrepressible optimism and newfound excitement for the mission, Obito headed into the café to find Rin.

However, Obito would soon find his optimism put to the test when he arrived in Koori with his team. As whether it was mere coincidence or if it was predestined by fate, a certain Kumo nin would push Obito's skills as a captain and as a jonin to the very limit.

* * *

><p>"Koori is a fairly large trading town," C told Kakashi as they set out from the village. "We'll be there around nightfall. It'll be fairly busy though as everyone has to pass through it to enter Lightning Country and it is trading season."<p>

"This is only a C-ranker," Darui yawned and he rumpled his hair. Having lived with Darui for the past two years Kakashi knew his sensei wasn't particularly great at handling mornings. After all Darui was the one who encouraged Kakashi to have a lie in. Sleep, according Darui, was the best way to save up energy and also help Kakashi grow.

The growing part was certainly true. Kakashi was now at a respectable height for a fifteen-year-old boy though his hair was still a chaotic mess. It seemed that with every inch he grew, the messier his hair became.

For the first year in Kumo Kakashi had taken on a fairly sedate lifestyle, that had been full of constant training. Not that he had minded. Kakashi found himself looking forward to his daily sessions with Darui. Researching and practicing chakra control with C had been interesting too. On the odd occasion A would unceremoniously dump a girl named Yugito upon them.

Though only a year younger than him, Yugito was much more reserved than the other Kumo nin Kakashi had met. Then again that wasn't saying much as he hadn't met that many Kumo nin. Yugito, however, proved to be one of the best training partners. It was her taijutsu that had pushed Kakashi into improving his and they were constantly competing with each other in speed. Sadly these training sessions with Yugito were not as frequent as Kakashi would have liked as she was constantly being sent off to do 'special training' with A's brother.

Yugito wasn't the only one who sometimes turned up to Kakashi's lessons with Darui. A's younger brother, B, would occasionally appear. Kakashi never knew what to make of B and he had point blank refused when B had tried getting him to rap. However as soon as Kakashi saw B's skills with the sword, he immediately respected A's brother. Those sessions with B were invaluable to Kakashi and when he watched Darui and B spar it was a jaw dropping sight to behold.

It was strange. In that first year Kakashi had found himself so preoccupied with training. With the lazy mornings of long lie ins and late evenings where Darui and C would take him out around Kumo, Kakashi had found less and less time to brood upon his lost memories. He even found himself slowly unwinding. The daily routine and slow tendrils of friendship provided stability for Kakashi, something that he realised that he must have been craving before his amnesia.

By the end of the first year, the Third Raikage had given Kakashi the invitation he'd been secretly hoping for…

_"How would you like to become a ninja of Kumo?" The Third asked._

_Kakashi blinked. Hard. In all honesty becoming a Kumo ninja would be an honour. Sure people were still calling him either 'southerner' or 'amnesiac' but that was to be expected. What mattered more were the friends he had made, people who had welcomed him and saved his life. However, Kakashi knew Kumo was taking a gamble. He was still an ex-Konoha nin. If he regained his memories, who knew what would happen? Kumo may lose all trust in him. After all he was still attending monthly appointments at the hospital, though Kakashi had a feeling that was more because of the agonising migraines he occasionally had. Darui really did worry like an old woman sometimes so Kakashi decided it was best not to mention those eerily nostalgic dreams he had every night._

_"You are a missing-nin," the Raikage reminded him. "So you have nowhere to go and I doubt any other village will take you. Remember the assassination attempt?"_

_Kakashi certainly did. A few months ago while he'd been training up in the mountain a Konoha ANBU had attacked him. The fight had been tense but he'd defeated the ANBU. However when Kakashi went to interrogate the assassin, the ANBU had activated hundreds of explosive tags in the attempt to destroy his body along with him. If it hadn't been for Darui, Kakashi would have been killed in the blast._

_Konoha clearly wanted him dead and not having had a single flashback it appeared that his memories wouldn't be returning. Kakashi could leave Kumo… But what would happen? Konoha would pursue him and he would be forced to take on the life as a mercenary. Either that or flee to lands far beyond Land of Wind where apparently ninjas didn't exist._

_"It's completely your choice," the Third smiled, even though both Kakashi and he knew that the boy had very little options. "The doctors say that there have been no signs that you'll be recovering from your amnesia either… After all it has been a year already."_

_Kakashi sighed as he realised that he would have to take the risk. "It would be an honour to become a member of the village," he smiled._

Kakashi glanced Darui and C as they made their way down the mountain pass. Becoming a Kumo ninja had been… Excruciating to say the least. Though his skills were without a doubt jonin standard, Kakashi had been sent to academy. The Raikage insisted that he was tutored on the history of Kumo. Sitting in a classroom full of runny nosed five year olds hadn't been a particularly fun experience, however it had only taken one day of work for Kakashi to ace the academy exam.

Of course he continued his training regime but Kakashi had also been given D-rank missions, much to C's amusement and his sensei, Darui's, dismay. De-weeding people's gardens and retrieving lost pets was mind-numbingly dull for someone like Kakashi but somehow it didn't matter. Wearing the Kumo forehead protector gave him a sense of belonging and Kakashi didn't care if he had to remain a genin for a depressing amount of time.

It was half a year ago, after the Third Raikage had died, A had decided it was time for Kakashi to be unleashed. While being informed that he was being sent out with three other teams on a clean up operation of the north, Kakashi had been presented with the most beautiful kodachi he'd ever laid eyes upon.

"A gift," A had grunted. "My father wanted to give this to you when you officially became a member of the village." A had then offered Kakashi a smile and he had added, "Welcome to Kumo."

It was at that point Kakashi had begun to call Kumo home.

"We have a special inn in Koori," C said, tearing Kakashi away from his thoughts.

"A special inn?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"Basically it's where most of our people stay when we visit Frost," Darui explained. "When other ninja stay we use the place to-"

"Spy on them," Kakashi finished. "Good thinking."

"We'll be staying there," C said. "As much as I like Shimogakure I'm never comfortable staying in another ninja village."

"Kumo is on good terms with Shimo," Darui assured Kakashi. "… As you learnt in your history lessons."

C sniggered and Kakashi rolled his eyes.

"Hey, but who was the one who couldn't remember Kumo's national anthem?" Kakashi teased as his eyes crinkled up into a smile

"I was never the musical type," Darui admitted with his lazy grin.

"Musical?" C laughed. "Darui, you're tone deaf."

"That as well," Darui nodded and the three laughed.

True to C's word, they reached Koori by nightfall.

Across the continent trade had suffered immensely due to the Third War, especially for Frost Country, as it had been the land where Konoha and Kumo had constantly clashed. The Frost Feudal Lord of course had not been happy that his country had turned into a battleground so both the new Hokage and Raikage sought to improve relations with the country. What was occurring now was a bizarre diplomatic tug of war for the Frost Feudal Lord and the leader of Shimogakure's allegiance.

Although Shimo had previously been allied with Kumo in the past both the leader of Shimo and the Frost Feudal Lord had decided to maintain a neutral position, much to A's dismay.

"Precautions," Darui said in an apologetic tone, as he handed Kakashi a cloak. "Because of Konoha's improved relations there may be a slim chance that some of their ninja are around in Koori. You can take it off when we get to the inn."

Kakashi tugged on the cloak Darui had given him and pulled up the hood.

Slowly they walked down the long, winding path that led them into the valley that Koori was nestled in. Warm lights from the town beckoned the team. Traders packing up for the day passed them, towing their carts as they headed to the houses further up in the mountains.

The town itself was full of vibrant life. Mouth watering aromas from restaurants wafted around the street causing Kakashi's stomach to growl. Couples out for a romantic evening strolled past under the cheery lamps and street sellers retiring for the evening could be heard laughing from various bars.

Finally they made it to the inn. A rather bored, buxom blonde woman raised an eyebrow as they walked in.

"You took your time," She said as she drummed her red painted nails on the counter top.

"Sorry," Darui said, as a reflex more than anything.

The innkeeper ignored the guestbook before her. Instead she reached down and pulled out an alternative guestbook from beneath the counter.

She handed Darui who began to fill out their names.

"People are getting nervous," she told them. "Everyone has been keeping their children at home."

"How many have been taken?" C asked.

"So far, I've heard about five," the woman said. "Though it's hard to tell as they're all orphans. No one really notices when the odd orphan goes missing. Even with guards around the orphanage the sick bastard manages to slip past… Then again the Shimo nins aren't of particularly great calibre."

"We'll meet up with them tomorrow morning," Darui assured her.

"You don't talk much…" The innkeeper glanced at Kakashi. Her eyes flicked down at the guestbook. A frown crossed her face and she added, "Kakashi?"

"My student's shy," Darui said smoothly. "You'll have to forgive him."

The Kumo nin-come-innkeeper narrowed her eyes and she said, "Say… How old are you?"

Kakashi really did not like the way she was staring at him and he was glad he was still wearing the cloak. Sure he had piqued the curiosity of many people back in Kumo as it was obvious by his looks and accent that he was a foreigner. Still, he'd found all of the ninja he'd worked with had been welcoming enough, though the civilians were still a little wary of him.

However no one had looked at Kakashi before quite like this. The innkeeper was staring at Kakashi as if she was struggling to remember something. Could they have met before in his previous life? He severely doubted that. After all, Konoha ninja rarely ever visited Frost Country in the past.

"I'm seventeen," Kakashi lied, deciding that the best option was to partially hide his identity. After all, though none of the Kumo nin had questioned his past, Kakashi was only aware of three people who knew that he was from originally from Konoha: A, Darui and C. There were bound to be Kumo nin who would resent him if they knew he was a missing-nin from Konoha. If this woman had met him before then he didn't want her to jeopardise his position.

"Same age as me," C chipped in.

"Sorry," the woman suddenly smiled. "I was just wondering how long you've been Darui's student?"

"Three or four years," Kakashi gave her another lie. "It's been a while."

"I feel for you," C joked.

"Because he's got you as his senpai?" Darui retorted, giving C a lazy grin.

"Anyway," the woman said, her attention now averted away from Kakashi. "Here are your keys. First floor, third door on the right. Good luck for your mission."

"Thank you," Darui nodded and he took the keys from her.

As they walked upstairs Kakashi decided to push the innkeeper from his mind and concentrate on the mission. Attempting to recover his memories now would only bring him trouble.

* * *

><p>"Well here we are," Obito said. "The town of Koori."<p>

The three-day journey had gone along without a hitch and the four of them arrived in the trading town in record time.

"What about that inn over there?" Aoba suggested as he nodded towards a pleasant looking building with bright flower boxes and welcoming lanterns.

"Definitely not," Obito said.

Rin laughed and explained, "We came here on a mission about five or so years ago… When we stayed at that inn the landlady tried to err… Kill us."

"That is a problem," Aoba said dryly as Aburame Muta nodded.

"So where are we staying?" Rin asked. "Captain?"

Obito turned and flashed her a grin. Rin knew how much this meant to Obito; leading his first ever jonin mission and she really hoped it went well. Especially seeing as he was still trying to prove to his clan that he could be a good ninja without his sharingan.

Rin sighed. She really did hate Obito's secrecy over his bloodline but it was his choice and she wasn't going to argue against it.

"Minato-sensei already made us reservations at an inn on the other side of town," Obito told them. "As we're here as ambassadors from Konoha."

"Which probably means we'll get a nice place to stay," Aoba smiled appreciatively.

As they walked through the town Rin couldn't help feel a pang of sadness and nostalgia as they passed the Yuki no Hana Restaurant. Last time they'd been here Obito and Kakashi had been constantly bickering… Not to mention that the waitress had tried to kidnap Kakashi.

It didn't take long for the team to find the inn. After they'd settled in, Rin visited the boys' room and Obito began to inform them what was going to happen.

"No one listening?" Obito asked Muta after his insects had been posted on the door and windows. The seventeen-year-old Aburame shook his head.

"Rin, Minato-sensei went through the trade agreements with you," Obito said. "So tomorrow you and Aoba will visit the merchants."

"Right," Rin nodded. She recalled all of Kushina's lessons of how to handle men, so now Rin felt she more than capable at handling some middle-aged traders.

Aoba gave her his lopsided smile and Rin felt her cheeks heat up.

"Muta, tomorrow you'll do a sweep of the town with your kikaichu," Obito told him. "We'll also investigate the orphanage together."

"The place is going to be swarming with Shimo nins," Aoba pointed out.

"Already thought it," Obito grinned, causing Rin to smile. He really had matured. "I'll send in one of my summons."

_He'll also probably check the place out with his sharingan too, _Rin thought, knowing Obito would be able to spot any irregularities in chakra.

"Tonight we'll split up into the same pairs when we go out to eat," Obito said. "To collect information. Muta, we'll go somewhere near the orphanage to get an idea of how well guarded the area is."

"We'll go on the other side of town," Aoba said. "To get a better spread."

"Exactly," Obito said. Suddenly he thrust his hand forwards.

Aoba and Muta stared at his hand in confusion. Rin however knew exactly what he wanted.

With a small smile she placed her hand on top of Obito's. Catching on, Aoba followed and Muta finally placed his hand in the middle.

"Let's go," Obito grinned.

After Muta had placed an insect on each of them, the team went their separate ways.

As Rin and Aoba walked away from the inn he suddenly asked, "What was all that about?"

Rin raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh, you mean the hands?"

She sighed and her eyes glazed over. "Minato always tried to get us to do that before each mission," She explained. "I think it was to help us bond but Kakashi and Obito both thought it was too uncool to do. So it failed each time." She then added, "I remember in our first mission ever when we were cleaning the Hokage Monument we all just looked at Minato-sensei like he was an idiot."

Aoba put his hands in his pockets and gave Rin a thoughtful look. Well at least she thought it was a thoughtful look. It really was hard to tell what Aoba was thinking when he was always wearing those sunglasses.

Obito and his goggles… Aoba and his sunglasses… Kakashi and his mask… Rin was doomed to be surrounded by guys who kept a part of their face hidden with an accessory.

"I think it's nice that your team has such a close bond," Aoba said as he stared at her.

Rin chewed her lip. Aoba was coming dangerously close to the taboo subject of Kakashi. Whenever someone other than Minato or Kushina talked about Kakashi, Rin's crippling shyness would return and Obito would punch the nearest object.

"What I mean to say is," Aoba said quickly. "Is that you're like a family: you, Obito and Minato-san. I wish my team had been like that."

Aoba laughed a little and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, "Do you know what our first mission was?" He said. "Cleaning the hospital bedpans. Our genin test was also to see how long we could stay conscious while Sensei shot as many chakra powered kunai as he could at us… Ah god I miss that sadistic bastard."

Aoba's sensei and one his teammates had died during the war. Now it was only Raido and he left. Rin knew how much those two competed with each other. When Aoba had finally been promoted to special jonin in the Intelligence Unit, Raido had been invited into the ranks of ANBU. Although it was nice to see that the older teens had adopted Genma into their little group.

"What about this place?" Aoba suggested.

Rin glanced to the left a small, unassuming noodle bar. It was a lot larger than Ichiraku's being an actual indoor restaurant. The place had a casual and relaxing atmosphere, perfect for picking up gossip with the close proximity around the bar.

Rin and Aoba stepped inside, waving cheerfully to the owner who was barking orders at two of his protégées who were slaving away at the stove.

They slid onto two stools in the corner and studied the menus, their ears straining for any information.

"Konoha ninja eh?" The owner nodded at them. "Here on a mission?"

"Trade ambassadors," Aoba smiled.

"Better be," the man grunted. "Now don't take any offence but I tell this to every ninja. Konoha, Kumo and Shimo alike. If you cause trouble in here then take it outside, understand? I've had enough of your bloody wars."

"Of course," Rin nodded.

"I'd listen," a man sitting a few stools away muttered. "Kenta bans anyone from his bar if they start a fight, and everyone knows Kenta does the best noodles in the whole of Frost Country."

"Not a man to anger," Aoba agreed.

After ordering two bowls of soba noodles, Rin and Aoba sat back on their stools.

"So how long are you here for?" The man asked them.

"Shouldn't be more than a few days," Aoba told him. "Are you a trader here?"

"No," the man shook his head. "I'm a teacher at the local school, civilian of course."

"That's a tough job," Rin smiled. "I always used to feel for our sensei."

The elderly teacher chuckled and rubbed his chin. Then a serious gleam filled his eyes, "Well I haven't been teaching for the past couple of days…."

"Why?" Aoba asked, feigning curiosity.

The teacher sighed. "Some sick person has been kidnapping orphans," he explained. "The Shimo nins can't make head or tail of it. Children have been literally vanishing, even when the orphanage is guarded. Those with parents aren't allowed to even go to school anymore, people are so afraid."

"That's awful," Rin whispered and her horror was all too real. Minato-sensei had told her about the monstrosities Orochimaru had committed in the past.

"How many?" Aoba questioned gently.

"As far as I know seven," the teacher told them. "Though those are children who went to school. More might have vanished, especially those who are younger. Shimo have pretty vague about because they don't want to panic anyone."

"I hope they capture the bastard," Aoba said softly.

"Me too," the teacher sighed. "Me too…"

They fell silent as the steaming bowls of noodles were placed in front of Aoba and Rin. She snapped her chopsticks in half and murmured "Itadakimasu."

Lifting up a single string she gently blew on the noodle. Then in one elegant slurp that she had unconsciously copied from Kushina, Rin chewed the noodle. It was perfect. The texture was beautifully firm. Sipping some of the soup, Rin's toes curled in pleasure. The soup was masterfully done. Various tastes danced around in her mouth and she could feel her muscles unwinding, something that only truly good food could do to you.

"You like it?" Aoba asked, appearing faintly amused.

Rin nodded her mouth full of noodles. She glanced at her teammate who was playing around with his food.

Swallowing, she raised an eyebrow, "What's a matter?"

"I'm sorry," Aoba suddenly said, catching her off guard.

"For what?" She asked, confused.

Aoba sighed. "I shouldn't have brought up your team," he said. "I know… I know how much it hurts to lose a teammate… Sometimes I just say these things without thinking and I-"

"Aoba," Rin cut in gently. "It's ok, honestly."

Aoba glanced at her and she offered him a warm smile. Having known the seventeen year old for quite a few years now she knew he had the nasty habit of saying inappropriate things. Maybe it was because he'd been under the influence of Inoichi for far too long. Perhaps it was because he had to hold in so much information now that he was working in the Intelligence Unit. Either way she knew Aoba well enough to know he never meant it.

"Thanks Rin," Aoba smiled.

They continued to eat in a much more comfortable silence. Aoba then admitted, "You know… When I first joined your team for the chunin exams I was pretty intimidated."

Rin giggled, "Really?"

"Your team was so close I felt like such an outsider," Aoba laughed. "I mean… You were the only who made me feel welcome."

"Well I'm sure Obito doesn't view you like that anymore," Rin assured him. "After all we…" Then the words suddenly died away as she caught the way Aoba was looking at her. Rin couldn't really tell what expression he was wearing due to the sunglasses but she could very much _feel_ the intensity.

She shifted in her seat uncomfortably, not entirely sure how she should react. Suddenly Rin realised that Aoba's knee was touching hers so she moved her leg away from his, staring very hard at her noodles.

Aoba cleared his throat awkwardly and resumed eating. However, out of the corner of Rin's eye, she noticed that his shoulders had sagged a little. A strange bitter confusion filled her mouth.

After finishing their noodles Aoba handed Rin his share of the bill and said, "I'm just going to the toilet, I'll be right back."

Rin nodded, hoping that for whatever she'd done Aoba would forgive her. She was about to call to the owner when suddenly Kenta's voice floated over her, "… Now I mean no offence but I tell this to every ninja who walks into my bar…"

Rin's head jerked upwards. More ninja had entered?

She glanced over and on the far side of the bar were three Kumo ninja. Immediately Rin stiffened.

"We understand," a well-built black man laughed good-naturedly.

From across the bar Rin studied the three Kumo nin as she pretended to root around her purse. All three were clearly of chunin or jonin level. By the way they were masking their chakra she guessed jonin.

The Kumo nin were young enough, a little older than her. The man who'd spoken was in his early twenties and the blonde boy next to him was probably around Aoba's age. Though she couldn't tell for the third. A hood, pulled low so you could only see the shadowed lower half of his face, obscured his appearance.

_I wonder what their mission is?_ Rin thought.

Suddenly the blonde Kumo nin looked up from his menu and stared straight at her. The only other foreign ninjas Rin had really ever met had tried to kill her, so she wasn't entirely sure how to react.

Relations between Kumo and Konoha had never been particularly great but since the war was over neither side actively sought conflict. Rin couldn't help but wonder whether these three Kumo nin knew something about Kakashi's kidnapping.

There was nothing she could do however and Rin didn't want to jeopardise the mission.

"Paid?" Aoba reappeared by her side.

"Yeah…" Rin said, breaking eye contact with the blonde Kumo nin. "We better go."

Aoba spotted the Kumo nin and he visibly tensed. Gently, Rin tugged on his elbow. Aoba and she left the noodle bar, completely oblivious that the missing member of Team 7 had only been a few metres away from them.

* * *

><p>The orphanage in Koori was right on the very outskirts of the town. Obscured by a bush, Obito and Muta sat high up on a ledge overlooking the orphanage.<p>

After hearing rumours in the restaurant they'd been eating in Obito had decided to investigate the orphanage as all the disappearances were taking place at night.

A single kichaichu fluttered onto Muta's finger. There was a moment's silence as Muta silently communicated with the insect. Obito sat patiently, knowing from experience that Aburames do not like to be rushed.

"There are in total ten children, one carer and five Shimo nin," Muta finally said. "I've planted an insect on all of them."

"Good job," Obito nodded. "If any kids go missing at least we'll be able to track them."

Suddenly a strange burst of chakra caught Obito's attention.

"Did you sense that?" Obito asked and Muta nodded.

"I think those steps lead up the shrine," Muta said softly as he pointed to the left of them. Obito scowled. A forest sprawled down the mountain but Obito could just make out the winding stone steps that led up to Koori's shrine.

"Always the shrine," Obito muttered darkly. "Come on lets investigate."

Cutting across the ledge they flitted through the trees towards the stairs. Suddenly Obito skidded to a halt with Muta beside him.

Squinting through the dark Obito could just make out a figure trudging down the steps.

"Provide me back up if needs be," Obito whispered to Muta.

Slowly, Obito crept forwards and activated his sharingan.

_What the hell?_ Obito thought. There was something _possessing _the person's body. Though he couldn't see their chakra coils he certainly could tell that whatever it was, it was most definitely foreign.

Slipping forwards Obito pressed his body against a tree. His crimson eyes dilated. The man dragging his feet down the stairs was wearing a Shimogakure forehead protector and flak jacket. However there was something most definitely wrong. The man's skin was a sickly pale colour, mottled and discoloured with strange bruises. His hair was slick with grease and Obito's nose wrinkled as he caught the whiff of decay.

Suddenly the Shimo nin whirled around with wide, bulging eyes.

"Who's there?" The Shimo nin called. Obito could hear fear and panic in the man's voice.

There was a sudden whistle and a kunai embedded itself into the tree Obito was hiding behind. "I know you're there!" The Shimo nin cried and he drew another kunai. "You're here to take me back!"

Obito glanced back at the place where Muta was hidden and gestured for his teammate to stay put. Drawing in a deep breath Obito stepped out from behind the tree.

"Hey, it's ok," Obito, said softly to the man as if he was speaking to a small, scared child. "I don't mean any harm."

The Shimo nin clearly didn't believe him as he lobbed another kunai. Obito tilted his head to the side as the weapon sailed past his ear.

"I just want to talk," Obito said in a calm voice and he held up his hands. "See? I promise I won't do anything."

Sweat was pouring down the man's face and his breath came out in short, sharp gasps. Drawing out another kunai he pointed it at Obito with shaking hands.

"I'm looking for some kids," Obito said. "Some orphans. I was wondering if you could tell me where they are?"

"He's going to find me, he's going to find me," the man chanted and spit sprayed out as he spoke.

Inwardly, Obito cursed. Minato-sensei had told him about all the signs of someone who was under the control of Orochimaru. Judging by the Shimo nin's insanity, Orochimaru had his name written all over him.

"He's going to find me," the Shimo nin mumbled and he slowly raised the kunai up towards his throat. "He's going to find me."

With slow horror, Obito realised what the Shimo nin was about to. Instantly, he flung a shruiken and with one sharp clang the Shimo nin's kunai was knocked from his hand.

The man gave a terrified scream and launched himself back up the steps. Swearing, Obito followed and in one smooth leap he cut across the man's path.

"Leave me alone!" The Shimo nin shrieked and he charged at Obito in blind panic.

The Shimo nin aimed a brutal right cross towards Obtio's jaw but with an easy flick, Obito blocked the attack with his forearm. In one lightning movement Obito grabbed the man's wrist, wrenching him forwards and he delivered a gentle blow into the man's gut.

The Shimo nin reeled back, clutching his stomach and the veins in his forehead bulged. Suddenly the man began to retch.

Obito faltered. He didn't think he had hit the Shimo nin that hard but before he could ponder any further, something wet sprayed his feet. He glanced down to see a fine mist of blood cover his toes.

There was the sickening sound of vomit hitting the ground as blood spewed from the Shimo nin's mouth. Dark, thick liquid stained the steps and Obito could see a strange white substance mixed in with the blood.

He glanced up at the Shimo nin but just as he moved to help him, the man fell forwards. Obito bent down placing two fingers on the man's neck. He swore. There was no trace of a pulse. The Shimo nin, their only lead, was dead.

Muta appeared from the trees and stared at the corpse.

"Standard Orochimaru," Obito sighed. "He must have been poisoned already."

"You didn't hit him hard enough to kill him," Muta agreed. "But the strange chakra has vanished now."

They looked at the body, wondering what exactly to do with it.

"We should take sample of the blood and send it back to Konoha," Obito said. "And then…" He faltered. Ideally, Obito would like Rin to take a look at the corpse but if they were caught then it was start an international incident. No one would believe them… And Minato wanted the utmost secrecy over the mission anyway. Leaving a body would go against their orders.

Instead Obito bit his thumb and formed several seals. "Summoning technique," he said, slamming his palm to the floor.

A storage toad appeared accompanied by the usual puff of smoke. The toad gave the corpse one look and said, "You can't be serious."

"I'm sorry. You just need to take this to Konoha," Obito pleaded. "It's vital for our mission. Please?"

The toad gave Obito a dark look and said, "You owe me. Big time."

Obito sighed, betting that Minato-Sensei and Jiraiya didn't get harassed by the toads as much as he did. "Ok, I'll treat you to a meal when I get back," Obito assured him.

The toad rolled his eyes but proceeded to swallow the body anyway. After the toad had vanished, Muta and Obito began to make their way back to the town.

As they walked down the steps Obito began to formulate one simple change of his plans for the next day. Tomorrow night, he would investigate the shrine and this time things would go according to plan as there wouldn't be any Kumo nins trying to kill him.

* * *

><p>"The shrine?" The Shimo jonin leading the investigation raised an eyebrow.<p>

The next morning Darui, C and Kakashi had met up with the Shimo nins at the orphanage.

"I detected a flare of strange chakra there last night," C told him. "We went to investigate but all we found was a rather large bloodstain."  
>"We've sent a sample to be analysed by our people," Darui added. "Sorry we didn't tell you earlier.<p>

"Huh," the Shimo nin muttered, not looking particularly pleased that his mission was being hijacked by three Kumo ninja. Then again he'd had instructions from higher up to follow the Kumo captain's orders.

"We'll give you the results of course," Darui assured him. "What else have you found out?"

The Shimo jonin sighed and ran a hand down his face. "So far nine children, ranging from the ages four to ten have been taken," he said. "Also…"

He glanced around the yard for anyone listening in, but the children had been kept inside. "Three of our men has been taken," he whispered.

From underneath his hood Kakashi frowned. The person behind this was definitely not your everyday psycho. By the sounds of it the person was a ninja, an intelligent one at that.

"Why haven't you evacuated the children to a different area?" C asked.

"We've tried," the Shimo nin retorted. "We've spread the orphans around town in different locations. The bastard still finds them. We had to keep some here as well as there wasn't enough room."

"When have the disappearances been happening?" Darui decided to placate the man.

"Night," the man answered. "Even when we actually place a ninja inside the dorms we find him incapacitated the next morning. None of the remaining children can remember what's happened either."

"I'll take a look around," C told Darui.

As C walked off, Darui turned to the Shimo jonin and said, "What I'd advise is to keep all the orphans in one place. They'll be easier to protect that way. C and I will be part of the team protecting them. So move the orphans back to the orphanage tonight."

The Shimo jonin scowled at being ordered around but he nodded and went off to inform his men.

Darui turned to Kakashi and said in a low voice, "Kakashi, since you have the best tracking skills, tonight I want you to go and investigate the shrine while the person in distracted with all the orphans in one place. Remember our operation in the north?"

Kakashi nodded and said, "Don't do anything unnecessary."

Darui smiled, "Exactly. We'll all have our radios on so if you find anything inform us since the shrine isn't far away from the orphanage. Watch out for any Konoha ninja who may be lurking."

Kakashi returned Darui's smile. Seeing the Konoha nins in the noodle bar yesterday had caught him off guard but Kakashi had decided not to let it unnerve him. He wasn't sure how infamous he was back in Konoha but he knew that as long as he stayed away from them he should be fine. Anyway, intel had informed them that the Konoha ninja were here for some trade agreements with local merchants.

"With any luck we'll be able to solve this in a few days and we can go back to Kumo," Darui yawned.

It was eight in the morning and Darui looked like he was still asleep though, Kakashi knew Darui considered eight in the morning to be still night.

"The innkeeper told me that Koori's shrine was really nice," Kakashi pondered.

"It's alright," Darui shrugged in his usual understated way.

Kakashi caught Darui's expression and he laughed, "Sensei, I'm not going to go sight seeing."

"Better not," Darui said ruefully. "Otherwise A will kill me if he knows that you've been slacking off again, and how many times have I told you not to call me Sensei?"

"I wasn't slacking off," Kakashi pointed out. "I just… Over slept when I was supposed to see him. Sorry."

"That was probably my fault too," Darui conceded. "Sorry about that and don't worry about it."

Kakashi was never sure why but as easy going as Darui was, the man never seemed comfortable when he called him 'sensei'. Maybe it was because he was only six years older than Kakashi or perhaps it was too formal.

He glanced up in the direction of the shrine hoping that, as Darui had said, the mission would be straightforward. Kakashi sincerely wished that for once luck would be on his side and that he wouldn't meet any Konoha ninja while up in the shrine.


	23. Chapter 22

**A/N: A lot of action in this chapter but I hope it lives up to your expectations. Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 22<strong>

"At that price?" The merchant snorted. "Do you know how long my family has been in this business?"

"Three generations," Aoba answered. "You've already told us… Several times."

Rin and Aoba had successfully secured trade agreements with the other merchants on their list, however the last was proving to be more than a challenge. As soon as they'd arrived at the merchant's store in the town centre he'd been completely hostile. The man appeared to loathe Konoha ninja and was asking for some ridiculous price for his supplies. The woollen clothes that were made in Frost Country were of the finest quality and this merchant, the best in the entire country, sold everyday jumpers to clothes that were fit for a feudal lord.

"1,200 ryo is one week's rent," Aoba said flatly. "You have to be joking if you want us to pay that amount for a vest."

"I hate to think where you're living," the merchant retorted. "And let me tell you that this vest could possibly save your life if you wear it as insulation in the mountains."

"For that price it better do," Aoba muttered.

Rin gave the merchant a sweet smile and she said, "Yamauchi-san, I can assure that in the current economic climate that no one in Frost or Fire Country could afford a vest at such a high price."

"You bloody ninjas are the ones whose war caused inflation and collapsed the market," Yamauchi responded defensively.

Rin leant against the counter the man was standing behind and tilted her head slightly. Subtly she wet her lips and said, "But both the Hokage and Feudal Lords of Fire and Frost are working together. Surely wouldn't it best if we work out a suitable deal?"

She drew slow circles on the counter and Yamauchi watched her nervously. Both Aoba and her had decided to hide their weapons pouches and kunai holsters so not to alarm the merchants. However Rin had decided to take Kushina's advice on how to persuade men.

With her hair down in soft, loose waves, eyes rimmed in smoky make-up and lips slicked with lip-gloss, Rin could be mistaken for a seventeen year old. Her usual mesh shirt that she wore beneath her tunic had been discarded and a small, modest amount of cleavage was to be seen.

In all honesty, Rin didn't think she look particularly amazing. Then again after wearing no make-up and having greasy hair during missions, her appearance could be considered glamorous. Certainly, judging by Obito and Aoba's reactions they seemed to think so. Both boys had gaped at her and had asked Rin to wear something less revealing. After that reaction she had started wonder how bad she must look on an everyday basis.

"I know what you're doing," Yamauchi said. "Don't think you can use your kunoichi wiles to persuade me."

_He saw through it?_ Rin thought. The seduction classes had been an excruciating experience and Rin had been embarrassed for every single minute of it. Kushina, who had apparently been the world's biggest tomboy in the past, assured her that she'd get the hang of it. Once she did, apparently seducing men would be endless fun.

Right now it felt anything but fun. Rin had never felt more awkward in her life. She knew she wasn't a natural and it took every ounce of confidence she had to walk in the shop. In all honesty, Rin wasn't entirely sure _how_ to flirt.

Thinking fast, Rin countered, "Please Yamauchi-san you're mistaken. Contrary to popular belief kunoichi are not scheming seductresses who will sell their body for whatever means. In fact we're rather offended by that myth."

Suddenly, unseen by the merchant who was behind the counter, Aoba gave Rin's hand a reassuring squeeze. Rin couldn't help but squeeze back, thankful for his support.

The merchant appeared to be suitably contrite as he said, "Sorry… That was an underhand remark."

"Don't worry, however let's look at things rationally," Rin told him, slightly disappointed that Aoba had released her hand. "Your trade hasn't branched out to the Fire Country, has it?"

"Maybe," Yamauchi admitted grudgingly.

"For the first batch I would suggest around 1,000 items in total," Rin said. "It doesn't have to be your higher range products either."

"1,000 huh?" Yamauchi raised an eyebrow. "I take it I have a place to store these? You know how much money I could lose it they were stolen?"

"Of course," Rin nodded. "The Hokage will give you a designated warehouse and if the products are stolen the village will be held liable."

"How much?" Yamauchi asked.

"370 ryo for a single jumper and 190 for a vest," Rin said. "So at an estimate 280,000 ryo for the entire batch… So altogether we'll pay 350,000."

"370 for a single jumper?" Yamauchi said in mock disbelief. "That's robbery. Let's call it 700,000 for the whole batch."

"You've just doubled the whole amount," Aoba interjected.

"350,000," Rin repeated.

"I've got to cover exportation charge, not to mention the taxes your Hokage inflicts on us lowly traders," Yamauchi said. "500,000."

"A guarded caravan would be a C-rank mission and would be at the most 4,000 ryo," Rin's quick mind calculated. "The tax is 2.5% so if you sell the entire batch that would be 7,000 deducted. You will still make a large profit. After all you're selling the items for a higher price than you do here."

Yamauchi opened his mouth and the closed it again. "Fine… 500,000 wasn't it?" He said.

"At 354,000 we'll even provide you the escort ourselves," Rin sighed, growing tired of the haggling.

Yamauchi thought about it a moment then grunted, "You can keep your 4,000. No offense but I'd rather have Shimo nins as escorts. But I tell you this is blind robbery; do you know long my family has been in this business?"

"Let me guess… Three generations?" Aoba muttered.

"Glad we have an agreement Yamauchi-san," Rin smiled and she offered a hand. Grumbling, Yamauchi took it.

All the way through signing the trade deal Yamauchi was muttering about 'robbery' and 'shame to the family' however Rin and Aoba's 'official' mission was complete.

"Wow you really are amazing," Aoba told Rin as they left Yamauchi's store.

"Not really," Rin shrugged, avoiding his gaze. "It was just some maths… Nothing more."

She didn't mean to have a self-effacing attitude. It was just compliments made her squirm inside. Praise made Rin stammer and she always found it hard to believe. Even with her growing confidence Rin found it hard to break free from what Kushina called her 'inferiority complex'.

"Rin," Aoba said and his tone of voice caused her to look up at him. "Remember what Inoichi told you? Don't do yourself an injustice."

"Ok," Rin said slowly and she felt her cheeks heat up slightly. "Thanks Aoba."

They continued to walk in silence. As soon as she had greeted Aoba in the morning it appeared that he'd forgiven her for whatever she had done last night. The day had passed by seamlessly but now that same heavy awkward feeling was back.

"So is it true about what you said about kunoichi?" Aoba suddenly asked.

Rin gave him an incredulous look. Aoba then hurriedly added, "No wait, what I mean to say is it true that you aren't sent on… _Those_ kind of missions?"

Rin's eyebrows shot up and she answered, "W-well… We might have to, um, seduce… To infiltrate or to capture or sometimes for information… But we'd never have to… You know… I mean an ANBU sleeper-cell agent might but the chances of getting _that_ kind of mission are extremely unlikely… We still live in the Fire Country… Equal rights are upheld by the Hokage."

Inwardly Rin was kicking herself for not being able to say the word 'sex'. Her face had turned a rather attractive shade of crimson and her eyes were strictly trained on the ground.

"It is a pretty stupid myth isn't it?" Aoba agreed. "I mean you're still a kunoichi at the end of the day… Though I think the standard, male seduction mission fantasy has just been ruined."

A giggle escaped Rin's lips and she gave Aoba a light whack across the arm. Aoba grinned and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

Evening had well and truly set in. The gorgeous sunset colours had been washed away by the night's sky and recently lit lanterns glowed all along the street. Rin frowned for a moment. Bargaining with the merchants had taken a lot longer than expected.

"We should hurry," she told Aoba.

"Right," he nodded. They quickened their pace, heading to the inn so Rin could change her clothes and they could pick up extra weapons.

"Muta is probably already at the orphanage by now," Aoba said.

"He'll be ok," Rin assured him. "Muta won't do anything rash. At least he can contact us if anything happens."

Rin, however, was more worried about Obito. By now her teammate had probably left to investigate the shrine. The memory of what had occurred the last time was all too fresh in her mind. Not only that, but Orochimaru was definitely hiding somewhere. Rin wanted to meet Obito at the shrine as quickly as possible.

* * *

><p>With, what had been dubbed by the Kumo ninja as, the White Demon's Blade slung over his shoulder Kakashi always felt secure. As soon as he had drawn the kodachi from its sheath, Kakashi had felt complete. Whenever he used the blade in battle it became an extension of his body, as if the sword had always been a part of him. Even when Darui had borrowed it occasionally during training both men knew that the kodachi only had one owner and that was Kakashi.<p>

The craftsmanship of the blade never ceased to astound him. Kakashi found that he automatically channelled chakra into the blade and despite the fact stamina had always been his weakness, he didn't find it taxing either. Whatever had been the Raikage's motives for giving him the blade, Kakashi knew that they wouldn't trust any person with such a weapon. This kodachi was confirmation of who he was. Not the lost amnesiac from Konoha but instead as a ninja of Kumo.

After climbing up the stone steps, Kakashi finally made it to the shrine entrance. Two stone lions stood as timeless sentinels. Both were faded and worn by age, and Kakashi could see small clumps of moss hiding in their jaws. A faint breeze caused the trees to exchange secrets and tales, as the omikuji hanging from their branches swayed.

The place was deserted, as no one ever really wanted to go to such an eerie place at this time. Instantly, Kakashi senses turned hypersensitive.

He slowly advanced, clinging to the shadows as he walked. Kakashi hadn't been given the title of 'White Demon' by the rebels just because of his fearsome ability in battle. No, it was because no one really ever saw him until the moment he struck the fatal blow.

Kakashi's eyes carefully flitted around the area, scanning for anything out of the ordinary. Then… He saw something. Slipping across the courtyard, Kakashi stopped by a tree. A dark stain encrusted the bark. He picked a flake off with a finger and sniffed. The faint smell something organic filled his senses. Blood. That stain was most definitely blood.

Kakashi's eyes flicked to the ground and he immediately spotted a footprint. Crouching down, he studied the print.

"Darui," Kakashi said into the microphone attached to his collar and despite the fact he was whispering, his voice sounded horribly loud.

There was a faint crackle through the earpiece and Kakashi heard Darui answer, "Found something?"

"Footprint," Kakashi told him. "Judging by the print I'd say they were wearing ninja sandals. By the size I'd say male, around 5"10 in height… It's fairly deep so either they're really big or-"

"They were carrying something," Darui finished. "Good work Kakashi."

"That's not all," Kakashi added. "I've found a bloodstain, which is probably a few days old. Want me to investigate further?"

Darui sighed causing the earpiece to crackle and he said, "Investigate a one mile radius around the shrine. Don't go any further otherwise you'll be out of range. Also if you find something let us know immediately."

"Got it," Kakashi said.

"Darui," C's voice filled his ears. "Incoming chakra presence, about a mile to the east of the orphanage."

"I'm on it," Darui grunted.

Kakashi stared into the trees and the forest leered back at him. It was a cloudy night so light was sparse and it would be even harder to follow the trail. However Kakashi was loath to use the small torch he had attached to his belt. If he used that then he wouldn't be able to ambush, his favourite tactic.

The Kumo nins always joked about the fact that Kakashi may possibly be related to canines. His sense of smell almost bordered on freakish. Kakashi's peripheral vision was astounding and he found that he could always sense movement in the dark.

So Kakashi slipped through the trees, following the tracks he's discovered. It took him a while as he slowly advanced into the forest as he was constantly analysing his surroundings.

The soft, springy moss beneath his feet masked his footsteps as Kakashi crept soundlessly like ghost. Finally, he made it to small clearing.

Leaning his back against a tree, Kakashi formed some seal and whispered, "Shadow clone technique."

As Kakashi's clone appeared the two nodded at each other. The clone headed out into the clearing. Kakashi couldn't help but think that no matter how many clones you created it was always odd seeing yourself from different angels.

He watched as his clone suddenly stooped down and picked up a handful of dirt. Frowning, Kakashi leapt up into a tree to get a better view. The clone began to wipe his hand across the ground, slowly raking away dirt and leaves with his fingers. Suddenly Kakashi's eyes dilated. A trapdoor.

Both Kakashi and the clone stared at the trapdoor, stunned. Who would hide a trapdoor in such an amateur way, using only leaves and loose dirt? A genin fresh from academy could probably discover that. Kakashi already knew that the person behind kidnappings was intelligent and most likely a ninja. So hiding a trapdoor in such an obvious way must make it a trap.

Kakashi's clone came to the same conclusion as he straightened, gazing around the clearing.

"K-Kakashi?" An incredulous voice cut through the cold, night air.

Both Kakashi and his clone froze. Shadows snaked across the ground and as the clouds cleared stark moonlight hit the clearing.

From his vantage point Kakashi took in the man's dark, dishevelled hair, green flak jacket and orange goggles that were propped up on his forehead. Despite the fact he had stubble coating his face the man couldn't be that much older that Kakashi. Kakashi's then fixated on the person's forehead protector. A spiralling leaf engraved in the metal winked back at him.

Konoha? Konoha were the ones behind this?

No… Kakashi shook his head. That didn't make sense. Konoha had no reason to kidnap children. Not when they were forging new diplomatic relations with Frost Country. No. Kakashi had a feeling the trap had been set up for an entirely different reason.

However what was most worrying was how had the Konoha nin recognised him when he was wearing a hood?

Recalling the ANBU assassin, Kakashi drew the White Demon's blade from its sheathe as his clone turned to face the Konoha nin.

"Kakashi?" The man repeated. "I know it's you… I recognise your chakra…"

A frown creased Kakashi's brow and he shifted uneasily on he branch he was sitting on as yet another question arose. How had the person recognised his chakra when he had been concealing it? Kakashi bunched his muscles together, readying himself for action.

"Don't you recognise me?" The Konoha nin said and Kakashi could see pain fill his features. "It's me, Obito."

"I'm sorry but you've mistaken me for someone else," Kakashi's clone responded.

The Konoha nin faltered. "Bastard," he whispered softly. Yet despite the fact it was an insult there was a hint of affection to it.

"So it's true…" The Konoha nin named Obito continued. "… You really can't remember anything."

As his clone was talking to the Konoha nin, Kakashi decided to slip from the branch and into the shadows.

"Really, I have no idea what you're talking about," the clone assured him.

Obito clenched his fists. "I guess there's no other way," he sighed. "I'll have to make you remember by force!"

A shrill whistling shot through the air as hundreds of deadly kunai flew towards Kakashi from the treetops. Immediately as the first few kunai hammered home into Kakashi's body, the clone vanished.

Suddenly a white streak burst from the shadows and in one blinding movement Kakashi aimed his blade towards the back of Obito's unprotected neck. Spinning on his heel, Obito swerved the deadly blow and the harsh clang of metal filled the clearing.

"Huh… New blade?" Obito grinned as his kunai scraped along the edge of Kakashi's kodachi. "The Kumo nins did a good job then."

Kakashi ignored the Konoha nin's words. He had heard enough of how he was a traitor from the ANBU assassin. Instead he let his body relax and slip into a trance. His eyes soon began to gleam with the deadly combination of instinct and cold calculation.

Both men's hands shook with the suppressed force as the weapons scraped against each other. Screeching metal wrought the air and the biting tension cause the veins in Kakashi's hands to bulge.

Then, the White Demon's Blade began to glow white. Obito's eyes dilated as a spark burst from Kakashi's blade. Electricity crackled up the kodachi's hilt and soon enough the shriek of lightning filled their ears.

Instantly the electricity conducted and with a hiss Obito dropped the kunai. As Obito stooped, Kakashi only just caught a flash of seals as a jet of flames burst from Obito's mouth.

He hurled himself to the side as the fire roared past, smoke stinging his eyes. Flames licked at Kakashi's heels as his cloak caught alight. Kakashi flung it off, unknowingly tearing off his microphone with it.

Using the smoke as cover, Obito leapt at him in the attempt to disarm Kakashi from his weapon. But Kakashi was too fast.

He hurled himself to the left and began to spin the kodachi in one dazzling arc. The white spinning blade combined with shrieking electricity was terrifyingly hypnotic. As soon as the Konoha nin's eyes fixated up on the blade, Kakashi made his move.

"Lightning style: Heaven's Blade," He said in a clear voice. The Konoha nin's eyes widened as he realised what Kakashi was about to do but it was too late. Furious lightning exploded from the kodachi and in one horrifying scream it tore towards Obito.

Obito dove to the right as the technique tore past him, instantly obliterating the trees behind him. Shrapnel and ash rained down upon them in one stinging shower.

As the blast began to die down the painful contrast of silence strangled the clearing. All that could be heard was the sickly sound of thick liquid slapping the earth. Obito's eyes dilated as he stared at his chest in dumb shock. Slowly, he jerked his head down to see a chirping white blade wink back at him. Blood, so dark it was almost black, blossomed across his clothing.

"H-how?" He gasped. Obito looked up to see Kakashi fizzle and vanish before his eyes. "A… Lightning clone?"

From behind him the real Kakashi pushed the blade with slow merciless force until the kodachi was buried up to the hilt.

"Sh-should have known," Obito choked as blood dribbled down his chin. "A genius… Like you…"

Kakashi didn't say a word. Instead he was frowning. The blood that was flowing onto his hand didn't feel warm. No, it was ice cold.

Kakashi's eyes flicked to the ground at the sloppy, sticky mess. The consistency of the blood was far too viscous like to be normal. Kakashi had stabbed the Konoha nin with the intention to incapacitate rather than kill, so he had aimed to avoid any vital organs. However, there was far too much liquid staining the ground for it to be a non-fatal blow.

With a painful jerk, Obito looked over his shoulder. A sadistic, hungry gleam filled the Konoha nin's eyes and he grinned, "You've really grown up… Kakashi-kun."

The complete change in tone caused Kakashi to rip his blade from Obito and he stumbled back.

"Who are you?" Kakashi snarled.

"A simple Konoha ninja," Obito replied as he turned. Kakashi's grip around the kodachi as the moonlight hit Obito's face.

A sharp acrid smell hit Kakashi's senses. All he could do was look on in horror as Obito's body began to melt.

"Perhaps I was wrong… Perhaps I should have made you my vessel…" He whispered.

Though Kakashi had no idea what the Konoha nin meant, the words chilled him to his very core.

"No matter…" Obito breathed as his skin turned white. His mouth dripped into a lopsided sneer and Kakashi watched as Obito became more and more deformed. "… We'll meet again… Kakashi…"

Finally, Obito's body collapsed in a small pool white liquid.

Kakashi stared at the liquid, stunned. What had that been? A clone? The same malicious chakra that C had felt last night had been emanating from the Konoha nin. Were Konoha really the ones behind this? Or had they stumbled across something else entirely?

Kakashi slammed his blade into the earth in the effort to clean the kodachi of the liquid. He touched his collar, then realised that his microphone was gone. Cursing, Kakashi realised that he would have to leave and report back to Darui in person,

Suddenly, Kakashi sensed something right on the very edge of his vision. Wrenching the kodachi from the ground, he whirled around.

A dark figure stood beneath the tree. With slow, wary paces the person stepped out into the clearing. So many emotions crossed the person's face: shock, disbelief, longing, but most of all hope.

Kakashi stared at the face. This time he felt something, the same thing he had felt when he encountered the Yellow Flash two years ago. An aching nostalgia filled his mouth; so painful Kakashi felt it right down to his very marrow. Instinctively he attempted to reach into his memories but a searing pain in his temple beat him back.

Kakashi grimaced at his head pounded and he forced the feeling down, until all he was left with was blissful emptiness.

For a moment it felt as if time stood still as the two stared at each other, neither knowing what to do. Then… Finally, a slow smile spread across the person's face and they grinned, "Yo'."

* * *

><p>Obito hurdled over a log, as he headed in the direction of the shrine. One of Muta's kikaichu buzzed around his head as he ran.<p>

_There must be something happening down at the orphanage, _Obito thought, giving the insect a momentary glance. He had seen the Kumo nins there earlier in the morning and Obito trusted them to protect the orphans. That was most likely their mission after all, seeing as they had been meeting with the Shimo guards. Muta was hidden on the ledge overlooking the orphanage and he would notify Obito if anything happened.

By the way the insect was gently humming Obito could tell that everything was under control for the moment. Channelling chakra to his feet, Obito put on a burst of speed as he ran. The same pulse of chakra he had felt yesterday night had occurred again, however this time he had sensed it in the woods near the shrine.

Obito suddenly stopped and forced himself to calm down. Even if Orochimaru was nearby he needed to take things slow. Rin and Aoba would arrive later anyway as backup.

Slowly, he forced his heart to a calm rate and Obito wiped his eyes. He had never liked being in the woods at night, it reminded him too much of the chunin exams. Every shadow seemed to leer at him and his skin prickled with the possibility of an ambush. It was true that during the day you could still taste fear and adrenaline would pump through your veins during a mission like this; however that feeling paled in comparison to the terror that night could bring.

Having never liked to be reliant on his bloodline, Obito slipped through the tree without his sharingan. Everywhere he looked darkness twisted the trees and his mouth turned dry. So close now… Obito could almost taste the malicious chakra.

Up ahead he could see pale moonlight slithering through the branches. With slow, resolute footsteps Obito spotted a clearing through the trees and figure standing at the centre. Steeling himself, he used the shadows as cover and finally he made it to the very edge of the clearing.

At that moment, Obito forgot how to breathe. His brain turned numb and he blinked just to make sure the figure before him wasn't a mirage. Standing at the centre the clearing was Obito's idol, one of the greatest legends of Konoha, the White Fang.

Obito was frozen. Too scared to move or call out. Too terrified that any movement could cause the ghost to vanish.

In front of the White Fang was a hauntingly beautiful sword and even from where he was standing Obito could almost hear the blade calling out. In one fluid movement, as if the sword was simply a part of his body, the spirit pulled it from the ground. He then turned to face Obito.

A tiny gasp escaped Obito's lips. He had been stupid to think that this was the ghost of Hatake Sakumo. The man's hair was too short, he held a kodachi instead of a tanto and his face easily betrayed his youth.

No… This man was not Hatake Sakumo. He was the White Fang's son, Hatake Kakashi.

Kakashi stared at Obito, his eyes cold as the kodachi he held. A strange white substance spattered his clothes and Obito's eyes fixated for a moment on the Kumo forehead protector Kakashi was wearing.

It felt wrong to see Kakashi without a mask, almost as if he was naked. Obito had the urge to look away to give time for Kakashi to cover his face. In fact, Kakashi was barely recognisable as the snotty prodigy who Obito had seen five years ago. Perhaps it was the Kumo clothing or the way he handled the kodachi with awe-inspiring skill. Maybe it was because Kakashi was a good foot taller. Either way, it was no wonder that Obito had mistaken him for his father.

The two stared at each, neither knowing what to do. Kakashi was looking at Obito with strange disbelief. Then, he grimaced as if he was in pain.

There were so many different ways Obito had imagined this moment to turn out. He had even prepared a speech to tell Kakashi that he was here to drag him back home. Obito attempted a smile and he opened his mouth. However all that came out was a small, pathetic, "Yo'."

Immediately Kakashi pointed his weapon at Obito. Thinking fast, Obito held up his hands in defence.

"Hey, hey," Obito said softly. "It's me, Obito. Your teammate, remember?"

It was worth a shot however it appeared to nastily backfire. Kakashi's face twisted into a scowl. Despite the situation, Obito couldn't help but grin at the familiar expression. That expression was something Kakashi usually reserved for when he disapproved of something, an expression he'd used to use all too often around Obito.

"Was that a clone you used earlier?" Kakashi ignored Obito's words and his old teammate was almost relieved to see Kakashi was still blunt as ever. "Your chakra's changed."

_Great not only has Kumo removed his memory but they've also taken his sanity, _Obito thought with a groan.

"Don't be a moron, you're supposed to be smart," Obito said. He couldn't help it, old habits die hard.

Kakashi stared at Obito as if _he _was the one who was insane. "Where are the children?" He asked.

_So he must be with the other Kumo nins, _Obito thought. _Damn. They might come looking if Kakashi is delayed for too long._

"I was going to ask you the same question," Obito grinned. Behind the smile his mind was furiously figuring out what to do.

Kakashi's eyes narrowed and he said, "What're you planning? What did you mean by vessel?"

Obito couldn't remember Kakashi being this talkative; then again maybe Kumo had managed to loosen him up while they'd been fiddling around with his brain.

"We're not planning anything," Obito assured him. "We… We just want you to come home… Kakashi."

Kakashi laughed bitterly and he said, "Konoha wants me dead. I _have_ a home."

Obito's hands formed fists and they began to shake with anger. "_Konoha_ is your home," He growled. "And it always will be."

Without warning Kakashi flashed forwards and the kodachi sang towards Obito in a deadly uppercut. Obito barely had time to draw a kunai as their blades clashed.

Kakashi's attacks were relentless. Each attack forced Obito backwards as he frantically parried. Suddenly Kakashi feinted to the right but just as Obito lurched to the left, a chirping filled his ears.

Lightning streaked across the kodachi and Kakashi spun on his heel to aim a vicious blow. If Obito hadn't ducked at the last moment, he would have been decapitated.

Their blades slammed into each other, sparks shooting at both ninja. Knowing all too well that the lightning would conduct, Obito leapt back with his kunai raised.

"So you actually learnt something from last time?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

_He has really lost it, _Obito thought, shaking his confusion away. He then flung a handful of shruiken at Kakashi.

Kakashi simply stood there as the razor sharp shruiken flew towards him, as his kodachi glowed painfully bright. Obito's jaw dropped. On the ground were his shruiken, all of them cut cleanly in half. With three simple parries of his sword, Kakashi had used his lightning chakra to slice through all of the blades. It was clear to see that Kumo's finest had trained Kakashi, and that training had paid off.

Obito growled and launched himself at Kakashi. With one casual sway, Kakashi dodged Obito's blow. He spun on his heel and the kodachi flashed up towards Obito's chest. Narrowly avoiding a blow to the heart, Obito stumbled backwards and his left knee slammed into the ground.

Slowly, Kakashi advanced as the pitch of the electricity grew higher with every shriek. Suddenly, Obito glanced up from the ground with a wide grin. Before Kakashi could react, Obito slammed a palm to the earth shouting, "Summoning technique!"

Smoke filled the clearing as a six-foot high toad appeared.

"So this is it!" The toad cried enthusiastically as he spotted Kakashi. "The moment we've been training for."

"Yep, Gamakaji," Obito grinned. The toad, which had been his first ever summon, had endless optimism that even matched Obito's. "This is it!"

Gamakaji belched out deadly propelled bullets of oil, aiming for Kakashi. If one of those could hit him then the sticky substance should be enough to hold him in place for Obito to knock him out. What Obito hadn't accounted for, however, was Kakashi's speed.

Kakashi weaved in and out as the ground exploded around him. Oil drenched the trees and with one simple fire technique Obito could turn the entire place into an inferno.

Suddenly, a white streak shot through the air so fast that Obito couldn't even tell what direction it had appeared from. A strangled cry escaped from Gamakaji and oil dribbled dangerously from his mouth. Obito swore as he spotted a white crackling blade that had speared its way through the toad's knee.

"Gamakaji!" He yelled.

"Sorry Obito," Gamakaji said weakly. "Sorry I couldn't be of anymore use… Good luck!" The toad then vanished and the kodachi clattered to the ground.

Before Obito could mourn the failure of his plan and the loss of his toad, a faint hissing caught his attention. Glancing down Obito's eyes dilated as he saw two exploding tags at his feet.

Instinct kicked in and Obito flung himself backwards, only to be hurled through several trees by the blast a second later.

Sheer agony filled Obito's side as a tear trickled down his cheek. If he hadn't been wearing his goggles, the shrapnel probably would have blinded him too. Obito spat out a mouthful of blood and he gingerly touched his side, only to hiss in pain.

_Couple of ribs broken, _Obito thought as he struggled up.

Then, he froze as he felt some sharp press against his back. "I just want to make sure…" Kakashi muttered in what sounded to be an almost apologetic tone. "Whether you're the same person or not."

Kakashi then spotted what Obito was doing and he said, "Wait! You can't that, that's suici-"

Flames spurted from Obito's mouth aiming for the patch of oil nearby and instantly the rubble exploded beneath their feet.

Kakashi only just escaped the blast, his body smoking. Forming some seals he created a box formed of earth to contain the blaze. He glanced to his right to see Obito emerge from behind some trees.

"That was a clone wasn't it?" Kakashi choked, as his lungs attempted to expel the smoke. "You exchanged places as soon as you had landed."

"Pretty much," Obito attempted a grin but it turned into more of a grimace as the wound in his side burned.

It was clear that Kakashi was also suffering. Obito knew that from the state he'd discovered Kakashi in, his old teammate must have used up some chakra earlier. Sweat now dripped down Kakashi's face and he looked thoroughly exhausted as he panted.

"You're pretty good," Kakashi admitted and he suddenly smiled. "Konoha make worthy opponents."

The sheer enormity of Kakashi's words almost bowled Obito over. For his entire life, Obito had been attempting to force his teammate to recognise his skills. That day… The day Kakashi had told Obito to become a legend that was the day Obito had been recognised as Kakashi's friend. Today, it seemed was the day that Kakashi had finally decided that Obito was a worthy rival.

It was all wrong. It wasn't supposed to go like this. Kakashi was supposed to recognise him and _remember_ him. Not recognise him as a complete stranger.

"Kakashi," Obito whispered softly and the Kumo nin stared at him. "You once told me to stop chasing a legend and to become one… Ever since that day I followed your words. I trained so hard, I got myself promoted and I even rejected my clan teachings in the effort to heal the divide between them and the village…"

"But you know what?" Obito laughed bitterly. "What's the point in becoming a legend when my own best friend doesn't even remember me… Hey Kakashi?"

Kakashi's face was wrought with confusion and pain as he stared at Obito.

"I made a promise of a lifetime," Obito said and he pulled up his goggles. "I made a promise to bring you back to Konoha and, damn it, I'm sticking to my word. You're _going_ to remember and when we get back home, you and I can become legends together!"

Kakashi stared at Obito and his grey irises suddenly connected with two, fully fledged sharingan.

"An Uchiha?" He breathed. Black tomoe spun in a mesmerising circle and Kakashi found himself paralysed.

As Kakashi was trapped in the illusion, Obito surged forwards and sent one powerful blow into his stomach.

Kakashi reeled back and in a matter of milliseconds, the illusion snapped. His eyes came into focus as he doubled over wheezing. Obito scowled. He'd been hoping that his attack would knock Kakashi out.

"If you are who you say you are," Kakashi groaned, struggling to breathe, as a fine layer of white electricity crackled around his body. "Then maybe you'll recognise this technique… My sensei helped me to complete it."

The piercing sound of a thousand chirping birds filled the clearing and the sheer amount of chakra emanating from the technique caused Obito to flinch. Eye watering lightning filled both of Kakashi's hands.

_What is that?_ Obito thought, as he readied himself for Kakashi's attack.

With a cry Kakashi launched himself at Obito, at such a high speed that he tore the ground up beneath him. Though Kakashi's speed was almost inhumanly fast, it was not fast enough to be unpredictable.

Obito's sharingan spun and at the last moment he dodged Kakashi's attack. What he hadn't accounted for, however, was for the lightning to burst from Kakashi's left hand.

Obito leapt high into the air just as a wolf formed from snarling lightning tore through the spot he'd just been standing in. As he landed, Obito's instinct screamed and he swayed to the right as another wolf streaked past.

Breathing hard, Obito's eyes wildly searched for Kakashi through the smoke but he suddenly heard a menacing crackling from behind. Obito spun to see Kakashi's kodachi, which was embedded in the ground, glowing with white chakra. He attempted to run but he found his feet refused to move. Obito glanced to down with horror to see that he was standing in a puddle of oil. The sticky liquid clung to his sandals, effectively cementing him to the spot.

Then, he twisted his head around the see Kakashi standing a few metres away who still cradled lightning in his right hand.

_Wait a minute, _Obito thought as his eyes widened with realisation. _Those lightning wolves were decoys to lure me here so he could-_

"Chidori: White Demon's jaws!" Kakashi yelled. The lighting from both his hand and the kodachi reached an excruciatingly high pitch. Obito's sharingan spun frantically. He knew exactly what was going to happen. He knew it, however his body just wasn't fast enough to avoid or defend against it.

It happened so fast that darkness instantly covered Obito's eyes. Stunned, Obito stood there for a moment.

_What happened?_ He thought, staring round at his gloomy surroundings. _Am I dead? Wasn't I supposed to feel some kind of pain first?_

The darkness began to crumble away and Obito realised that he wasn't dead. At the last moment some kind of barrier had protected him. Soon enough the wrecked clearing came into focus.

Aoba and Rin had finally arrived. At their feet was Kakashi, face down, from having seemingly collapsed with exhaustion. Rin's brow was furrowed as she held out a scroll. Black bindings seeped from the scroll and wrapped themselves around Kakashi's wrists and ankles.

"Jeez, you took your time," Obito grinned and he stumbled slightly.

"Well you can't be the only one arriving late," Rin smiled as she rolled up her scroll. Her face softened as she gazed at Kakashi for a moment. Then she cast a worried glance at Obito's wound.

"We better go," Aoba said. "After the noise you made this place will soon have the entire town up here. The Kumo nins are going to be here soon, especially if we're bringing Kakashi with us. Muta's found a cave higher up in the mountain that we can hide in. He's already there."

"Let's go," Obito nodded.

Aoba stared down at Kakashi and Rin's eyes were shining with shock and elation. After five long years, Team 7 was finally reunited.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: ****Spoilers for chapter 599:**

**Originally I was intending to do a double update but latest revelations in the manga have screwed with my head quite a bit. So I'm not entirely sure what to do with this fic now. I did spend five months planning this and the story hasn't even reached the half way point of my original plan. Personally I'm in denial right now about Tobi being Obito so I would really like to hear your theories/thoughts on it.**

**Tobi's identity doesn't affect this arc at all so I'll try and maintain regular updates for now, while I try and decide what to do.**

**Special thanks does go to **ViresAdLegatum **for informing me that Tobi's identity has been revealed. I was about 60 chapters behind in the manga before but now I've finally caught up ^^**

**Any thoughts are extremely appreciated and thanks for reading so far!**


	24. Chapter 23

**A/N: I had this half written so I thought I might as well finish the chapter and edit it. So another update this week! Big thank you to those who reviewed last chapter - your thoughts really did give me the help I needed and I really appreciate it. It gave me a lot to think about and I'm now fairly confident in which direction this story will head in. Anyhow, as usual, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 23<strong>

Darui ran a hand down his face with a sigh. This mission was becoming more and more unfathomable by the minute. How it had managed to be given the status of C-rank he would never know.

C and he stared at the two dead Shimo ninja at their feet in the orphanage grounds. The first Darui had caught in the grounds and C had stopped the second when the Shimo nin had tried to infiltrate the orphanage. Both Shimo nins had inexplicably died in combat and both had been apparently insane.

"I sensed an… Organic presence," C told Darui. "My guess is that it feeds on the brain, which would explain the insanity and also why they were instantly killed. Something was definitely controlling them."

"We'll leave the Shimo nins to clear this up," Darui sighed. "At least the orphans are safe for the rest of the night."

"I've also sent a sample to our labs, as well as an update for Raikage-sama," C nodded.

The two fell silent as they stared at the corpses. Darui couldn't help but feel uneasy about the whole thing. First Konoha ninjas had appeared in town and now this. Right now, Darui was extremely tempted to abort the whole mission. It was far too much of a coincidence that all of this had happened on Kakashi's first mission outside of Lightning Country.

While he had gone to investigate the strange chakra presence C had felt, what sounded like an explosion had gone off in Darui's ear. His ears were still ringing from it. It was then C and he had realised that Kakashi's radio had been destroyed. Later, while the two had been engaged with the rogue Shimo nins, explosions had gone off from the direction of the shrine.

Now, as the early hours of the morning set in, a tense silence had settled over the valley. Darui felt a stab of apprehension. He wasn't just worried about Kakashi because of what the Raikage might do to him if something happened to the boy. No… Darui was genuinely anxious for Kakashi because he was both Darui's student and friend.

Admittedly, Darui hated being called 'sensei'. After seeing the pain etched across the Yellow Flash's face when his student didn't recognise him, Darui didn't want to feel as if he was replacing Kakashi's sensei. It felt wrong. Instead, he just wanted the boy to feel at home in Kumo.

Darui's normally laid-back demeanour vanished and he slung his huge blade over one shoulder. He then turned to C and said, "Let's go and find Kakashi."

* * *

><p>The cave that Muta had discovered was a shallow one, however it provided enough cover for the team to remain relatively hidden after Rin had cast a barrier over the entrance. Obito sat on a rock, his breathing laboured by pain and exhaustion.<p>

Lying on the ground was Kakashi and kneeling next to his head were Aoba and Rin. A small pulse of chakra glowed over his forehead as they examined his mind. Muta had decided to ignore the whole thing and he was sitting next to Obito as he quietly communicated with one of his insects.

Finally, Aoba looked up and Rin opened her eyes.

"Hokage-sama is right," Aoba told Obito. "Kakashi's memories have been sealed away."

"Can you break the seal?" Obito asked Rin.

Rin chewed her lip. "It's the seal that Kushina and I feared," she said slowly. "Effectively the seal has been integrated with his mind."

Obito stared at Rin for a moment with a completely blank look. "So you can you break it?" He asked.

"It's not that simple," Aoba sighed with a tone that implied Obito was an idiot. Obito scowled but he waited for Aoba to continue.

"Everyone has a mindscape," Aoba explained. "Apart from the Yamanaka clan and jinchuriki it takes a normal person about two years of training to access it at will, depending on how much talent you have."

"At will?" Obito frowned.

"Not even Inoichi fully understands it," Aoba admitted. "But the mindscape isn't a set place. It constantly changes with your emotions and memories. The only time a normal person accesses it is when they're dreaming and then you have no control of what's happening. Even a lucid dreamer to some extent cannot fully control their mindscape, unlike a jinchuriki or a Yamanaka."

"The seal is designed so it appears to be part of Kakashi's mindscape," Rin explained. "Meaning that Kakashi wouldn't even notice the sealing process as it would have taken place during a dream. The seal isn't malicious. The bigger the turmoil within the person, the more your mind will accept the seal as it soothes your mindscape."

"The seal has had two years to become a part of Kakashi. Trying to find the seal now would be like looking for a needle in a haystack… No it would be even harder than that," Aoba frowned and he rubbed his chin. "It would be like trying to find a grain of salt in a desert."

"Trying to find and break the seal by force would only destroy Kakashi's mind," Rin sighed. "It's extremely clever actually. Though the seal soothes the emotional turmoil you were going through at the time of the sealing process, when you attempt to break it the seal will use that pain and any other bad memories you've ever had to hold you back."

"So the only person who can destroy the seal is Kakashi himself," Aoba finished. "And he can only do that if he actually has the resolve to do so."

Obito's brain felt like a wet sponge as he struggled to withhold any more information. Screwing his face up as he struggled to make sense of Rin and Aoba's explanation, he said, "Right… So is there anything you can do?"

Aoba and Rin glanced at each. Chewing her lip, Rin ventured, "Well… Aoba you could make Kakashi lucid while he's in his mindscape, right?"

Aoba frowned and his bit his lip. "I guess…" He said reluctantly. "I'm nowhere near as good as Inoichi but I could give it a shot."

"Aoba's been teaching me how to access mindscapes," Rin told Obito. "We could go inside Kakashi's mind and… It'll be hard to mask our presence but if we can… Guide him… Then Kakashi might be able to find the resolve to break the seal."

_Since when has Aoba been giving Rin lessons?_ Obito thought. He shook his head. Now was not the time to get jealous. He had to assess what kind of risk this was to his team. After all, the Kumo nins were probably pursing them right now.

Obito glanced at Kakashi's sheathed kodachi they had brought along with them. He clenched his fists in anger. The way the blade had glowed… What had the Kumo nins done to the White Fang?

Obito's brow furrowed. He knew that if they managed to get Kakashi back to Konoha, Kumo could possibly declare war. Not only that but from what Obito had gleamed from Kakashi, his old teammate did not trust Konoha at all. He would try to escape or, worse, attack them. Attempting to escape with Kakashi now was far too risky. If they could cure Kakashi of his amnesia now then the Kumo ninjas would have no choice but to retreat.

"How long would it take you?" Obito asked.

"In the mind… Hours, possibly days," Aoba said. "In reality? About ten minutes if everything goes according to plan."

"What are the risks?" Obito asked.

"One, Kakashi could sense and then attack us," Aoba said. "We'd retreat from that relatively unscathed, leaving Kakashi to wake up naturally. Two, Kakashi's mind is still undergoing some kind of turmoil and he doesn't have the willpower to find the seal. If that happens then he won't be able to recover his memories. Worst-case scenario? Kakashi could accidentally destroy the wrong part of his mind and lose his sanity or… Become brain dead."

"Huh," Obito said as he weighed up his options as captain. He could feel Aoba and Rin staring at him. Even Muta's attention was now focused upon Obito.

Obito stared at his friend who was lying on the ground at his feet. His eyes focused upon Kakashi's unmasked face. Memories of arguments, spars, rivalry and friendship flashed through his mind. He recalled the way Rin's face used to light up every time she saw Kakashi. Minato-sensei had taught Kakashi since he was six years old and he constantly tried to get Obito and Kakashi to work together. Kushina… Obito didn't know her that well but he knew she had doted on Kakashi. He was family to her.

Obito's thoughts then turned to Kakashi's father, Sakumo. He had never had the chance to even see his childhood idol and he couldn't even begin to imagine what the White Fang would say about the whole situation. However, as an orphan, Obito knew one thing. Memories of your lost parents were beyond precious. To have them wiped away… Well that was like erasing away a part of your soul.

"Muta, alert me if anyone comes within one mile of the cave," Obito said. He turned to Aoba and Rin. "If anything happens abort immediately, understand? The same goes if anything happens here."

Nodding, Rin and Aoba placed their hands on Kakashi's forehead. Obito leant back, gently probed his wound with a wince and began to count. The next ten minutes would be the longest of his life.

* * *

><p><em>It was always the same. The same frozen forest locked in ice. Kakashi would always find himself lying on his back, staring up at the frost encrusted branches hanging above. Snowflakes would softly caress his face as he gazed up at the dark void.<em>

_Kakashi sat up, staring around. This place… This was place that he always visited in his dreams. The forest always held an aching nostalgia, so eerie that when Kakashi woke up he was left breathless._

Am I dreaming? _He thought as he stood up, dusting snow from his clothes. He bit his lip only to be met with all too reassuring pain._

_Kakashi narrowed his eyes as he recalled the Konoha nin's sharingan. An illusion? He shook his head. No… His chakra flow was regular… Where was he? Kakashi knew that an enemy ninja would have never been able to know about his dreams. However if he was seemingly awake but here… Did that mean he was in his mindscape?_

_Kakashi warily began to trudge through the forest, the air hauntingly still. He gazed around, as tree after tree appeared to be exactly the same; lost in an endless maze. Usually the snow was soft and soothing. Each flake would heal every wound and tranquilise Kakashi's pain. However, now as it steadily fell, the snow seemed to freeze Kakashi's very soul. His breath rose above him, mixing and crystallising as it escaped into the air above._

_Kakashi had heard about ninjas being able to freely access their mindscapes. He wasn't entirely sure how the actual process worked so he had no idea how to escape from it. Perhaps it was a result of his fight against the Konoha nin. Though Kakashi was fairly sure that he had collapsed from exhaustion rather than from a technique._

_Suddenly something wet dropped onto Kakashi's forehead. He glanced up to see the snow on the branch above making the valiant attempt to thaw. Another droplet fell onto Kakashi's head._

_Suddenly the soft sound of dripping water filled his ears. Kakashi tore his gaze away from the branch. Then… He saw it._

_The branches were not just dripping by chance. Only one branch dripped from a certain tree. Kakashi's eyes widened with realisation. It was a trail._

_Kakashi had no idea how to escape from his mind so he had no choice but to follow the trail. The thawing branches led him along a winding path for what felt like hours. Just when Kakashi thought he was being led into a trap, a huge dark cliff face appeared through the trees._

_Craning his neck upwards, Kakashi could see nothing but darkness above. The cliff face itself was composed of blackened, razor sharp rock. Kakashi reached out to touch the stone, only to find that his fingers instantly grazed upon contact. The more he stared upwards, the higher the cliff became. The height was so great that vertigo made Kakashi's head to swim._

_Though it appeared impossible to climb the cliff Kakashi could see tiny foot and hand holds snaking their way upward. Instinctively, Kakashi knew that the only way out of here was to climb._

_His hands stung immediately as they gripped the first handholds and with a grimace, Kakashi hoisted himself up. From experience of training in Kumo, Kakashi knew to simply concentrate on the next handhold rather than the whole cliff. Carefully, he began to climb._

_Suddenly, when Kakashi was only a few metres above the ground, a pair of yellow eyes flashed through his head. Instantly the rock beneath Kakashi's feet crumbled and he was sent tumbling into the snow below._

_Kakashi picked himself up, dusting snow from his clothes as he pushed the image from his mind. Gritting his teeth, Kakashi launched himself at the rock and began to climb once more. The rock grated against his hands but Kakashi ignored the stinging pain and kept going. This time he made it even higher however just as he strained his arm to reach a ledge, another image appeared before his eyes. An all too disturbing scene flickered before him of a freezer full of corpses._

_The rock beneath Kakashi shattered. With a yelp, he collapsed onto the ground. The snow soothed his aching limbs as Kakashi stared up._

What was that? _He thought. Snowflakes began to numb his apprehension, causing Kakashi to feel drowsy. Violently, he shook his head as he stood up. Now was not the time to give up._

_Again and again Kakashi tried to climb the cliff. Each time he managed to go slightly higher another horrifying image would fill his mind and he would fall once more to the ground. After the fifth time he dropped into the snow, Kakashi slammed a fist to the ground. Shaking the echoes of dying ninja from his head, he could feel hot fury course through him._

_Kakashi knew he was tougher than this. The sheer frustration caused him to growl and he dragged himself to his feet, his eyes burning. Like a genin determined to master chakra control, Kakashi strode towards to cliff._

_With slow, resolution Kakashi pushed every single apprehension or worry he had from his mind. He let his willpower take control as he hoisted himself from handhold to handhold. His hands began to turn raw from the rocks and the muscles in his arms screamed with exertion but Kakashi kept going. A hiss escaped from his lips as the skin on his hands tore. Warm, blood trickled down his palms and the sheer exertion forced upon his body caused Kakashi to sweat._

_Suddenly, another image started to filter through his mind. Kakashi desperately attempted to fight it however a heart-wrenching feeling of loneliness caused him to freeze. The emotion was so powerful that Kakashi could feel his soul withering from the isolation._

_The image of a young boy, standing in the rain at a memorial stone, washed over Kakashi. The boy couldn't be more than seven years of age. He stood, his body shuddering with complete desolation, thoroughly soaked. Kakashi had never seen someone look so dead inside. The boy's eyes were glazed with abandonment; his fists clenched as if relaxing his muscles would cause him to fall apart._

_The rock beneath Kakashi's fingers cracked and he clutched at the stone until his knuckles turned white. Then… The feeling was washed away. Kakashi blinked, as warm presence seemed to surround him._

_Despite the relaxing feeling, he couldn't help but feel wary. The presence… It felt foreign. Kakashi knew it didn't belong to him. Out of instinct, he mentally lashed out. Immediately the presence vanished and the footholds evaporated into grit and fragments._

_Kakashi crashed to the earth. Agony shot through him as his spine snapped and blood dribbled from his lips. Each time he fell his injuries became worse and would take longer to heal. Trying to climb the cliff face was indescribable torture. As soon as hope flooded through him, it would be snatched away. Slowly, Kakashi let his eyelids droop as despair threatened to envelop him._

* * *

><p>Rin and Aoba suddenly moved away from Kakashi, blinking. Obito jerked his head upwards, hope clear in his eyes.<p>

Rin chewed her lip and shook her head. It was worse than they had feared. Each time Kakashi attempted to break free from the seal, a memory would surface each more disturbing than the last. When they had attempted to help him, Kakashi had done what he always did. Reject their help.

It had been torture to see Kakashi so close to becoming who he used to be. They were so near in reuniting Team 7 that Rin's chest ached.

"How long?" Aoba asked Obito.

"Six and a half minutes," Obito muttered.

"He still has a chance to do it on his own," Aoba said quietly, more to comfort Rin than anything. He then pointed at Kakashi's closed eyelids. "See the movement of his eyes? He's still fighting."

Rin gave a resolute nod and she moved over to heal Obito's wound. Obito hissed as she lifted up his shirt and gently probed his side. Concentrating, green chakra emanated from her hand and Rin whispered, "We can't give up hope… After all, this is Kakashi we're talking about."

Obito grimaced and he added with fake confidence, "Exactly. Kakashi's a stubborn bastard. He'll make it."

* * *

><p><em>An excruciating groan escaped Kakashi's lips as his spine clicked back into place. For a moment he lay there, barely able to breath. The last image had shaken Kakashi to the core. That boy… How was it possible to feel so much emotion yet feel so dead inside?<em>

_He struggled to sit up, as his body shook with exhaustion. Depression attempted to claw at his mind but Kakashi fought it down. He desperately wanted to cure the child from the image of his misery. For some reason, Kakashi knew he had felt that feeling before._

_That's when it hit him. Those images… They were memories, each more hauntingly painful than the last. Had his past really been like that? If it had, did Kakashi even want to recover his memories?_

"Your identity is ingrained somewhere a lot deeper than your memories… You're still essentially Kakashi and you will be for the rest of your life."

_Darui's words echoed in the air. Kakashi believed those words and he had held that belief close to him for the years he had spent in Kumo. However, did Kakashi really want to be a person who was scared of the past?_

_Kakashi staggered to his feet, stumbling slightly. The jagged rocks taunted him and Kakashi's hands, still angry and raw from his last attempt, throbbed in protest._

_Breathing hard, Kakashi took a step towards the cliff when he suddenly stopped. Warm chakra began to pulse from his kodachi. The blade gently throbbed against Kakashi's back as the chakra soothed his injuries._

_Kakashi pulled the kodachi from its sheathe to see the blade glowing white. The metal shone so brightly that the image was burnt upon Kakashi's retinas. Then… A wonderfully comforting memory washed over him. It was so soothing that Kakashi felt as if he was slipping into a warm bath._

Kakashi stood before a shruiken post with an enormous scowl upon his face. Most of the blades had hit the post in a haphazard order apart from one that lay forlornly on the ground. However this was not the reason why the four year old was so unhappy. No the reason was because of the mask obscuring his face.

It was bad enough that the kids in academy already laughed at him because he was the youngest there. But now Sakumo had told Kakashi he had to wear a mask _all the time_, the older kids had mercilessly teased him. One boy from the Inuzuka clan had even went up to Kakashi and asked him why he was wearing a muzzle.

Kakashi honestly couldn't see why he was forced to wear such a stupid thing. Sure the White Fang wore one but no one laughed at him. In a plain act of defiance, Kakashi tugged the material down and inhaled a deep breath of fresh air.

How was he supposed to concentrate when he had to wear a stupid piece of itchy material over half of his face? Kakashi could hardly breathe.

"Your aim has definitely improved," a soft voice said. Kakashi turned to see his father emerge from seemingly nowhere. He was thoroughly used to it however. Sakumo was always coming and going with all the missions he had. It made the times with his father all that more precious.

"Do I have to wear the mask?" Kakashi asked, trying to keep his voice level so it didn't sound like he was complaining. All he succeeded in doing was giving a needy whine.

Sakumo studied Kakashi for a moment and he knelt down before his son. "Do you know why we wear masks, Kakashi?" He said.

Kakashi shook his head. All he knew was that they were supposed to wear the masks outside but not at home. Simple.

"A ninja's appearance is deceptively valuable," Sakumo told him. "Anonymity is a weapon. Only an idiot reveals their name to the enemy remember that."

Kakashi's scowl slipped away. Sakumo continued, "This is a lesson that every child in the Hatake clan is taught. But tradition dictates…" He reached up and slowly peeled his mask to reveal a kind, smiling face. "We only show our faces to the ones we truly trust, love and care about."

Kakashi's face suddenly split into a wide smile and gave Sakumo a look of pure adoration that only a child could give to their parent. To Kakashi, his father knew everything.

"Does that mean I only show my face to you and Kushina?" He asked. A frown crossed Kakashi's face and he added as an after thought, "Oh and your pack and Jiraiya… And _maybe_ Minato."

Sakumo chuckled and he ruffled his son's hair. "Not just us," he laughed. "When you make friends, people who you can really trust. Then you can show them who you are, Hatake Kakashi."

_Kakashi's eyes flashed open and a smile spread across his face. He turned to see what once would have been a majestic oak, now trapped in ice. Kakashi wondered how he had never noticed the tree when he had been trying to climb the cliff. Perhaps he just hadn't been able to see things clearly._

_Spinning on his heel Kakashi threw the kodachi in one soaring arc and it slammed into the frozen tree. A loud crack snapped through the air and as the blade grew brighter, the ice around the tree shattered._

_Harmless icicles littered Kakashi's hair and he stepped beneath the dripping boughs. Pulling the kodachi from the trunk, Kakashi sheathed the blade. Weathered and sanded down by time, the trunk was smooth apart from warped ryo coins that were embedded in the wood. Thousands of wishes had been hammered in the tree, covering the oak in a protective armour. Omikuji hung from the branches and they greeted Kakashi as they swung in the refreshing breeze._

_Kakashi's eyes then connected with a pair of neglected goggles hanging from a branch. He frowned, staring at the cracked visor. The memory was so tantalisingly close that he could almost taste it. His eyes the flicked to a faded rag, then to an old rusted weapon and mouldy looking box. Intrigued and full of unbreakable resolve, Kakashi climbed the tree. He grabbed the goggles, pulling them on so they dangled from his neck. Next he reached over, picking up the decaying weapon and box, strapping them to his belt. Finally, climbing up to the top most branches, Kakashi slowly untangled the rag and wrapped it around his neck._

_He dropped down from the tree and turned to face the cliff… Only to find that it was merely a hill. _

_The hill was devoid of trees and the small hopeful heads of grass broke through the snow. Kakashi strode towards the slope, and the snow beneath his feet began to steam and melt. With each step he took, the items started to heal._

_The goggles' visor suddenly repaired itself and shone a vibrant, cheerful orange. The rust fell away from the weapon and revealed it to be an unusually shaped, freshly oiled kunai. Kakashi suddenly realised that the box strapped to his belt was in fact a medi-pack. As he finally made it to the top of the hill, the rag around his neck had transformed into a flowing, crimson scarf._

_Not sparing the forest behind him a single glance, Kakashi tugged the scarf so it covered the lower half of his face. With confident strides, he then walked out into the open fields below._

* * *

><p>"He's waking up," Aoba said.<p>

Everyone in the cave froze. They distanced themselves from Kakashi and even Muta had directed his gaze at him. The air was so taut with tension that Rin could barely stand it. She didn't even dare to hope. Instead she formed her hands into a seal, in case Kakashi attacked them when he woke up.

Agonising seconds ticked by then… Slowly, Kakashi's eyes flickered and opened. Grey irises stared serenely up at the ceiling and for one panicky moment Rin thought that his mind had been destroyed.

Suddenly Kakashi sat up, staring at his bound hands in bemusement. Rin's hands slowly began to drop but Aoba gently touched her arm.

"Wait," he mouthed.

Obito, who still hadn't moved from his rock, said in a measured voice, "Can you tell us who you are?"

"Who am I?" Kakashi rolled the question around his mouth experimentally. A slow smile spread across Kakashi's face. That smile… You would have never been able to see it five years ago, yet somehow it was just so Kakashi.

"I'm Hatake Kakashi, son of Hatake Sakumo," Kakashi smiled. "Fifteen years and seven months in age. Rank… Well I used to be a chunin… I like training especially in swordsmanship and I like reading too."

Rin gasped and her hands dropped. Obito glanced at her and shook his head.

"Do you know who I am?" He asked.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow and responded, "You're Uchiha Obito. You like annoying your cousin and wearing dubiously coloured goggles. You also have the worst timekeeping in the history of Konoha and you had the biggest crush-"

"Yeah lets just stop there," Obito interrupted.

"But…" Kakashi added softly. "You're my teammate and rival… And I guess the term that's more commonly used is best friend."

A small gasp escaped Rin's lips and she could feel pressure building behind her eyes. Obito, on the other hand, looked like he didn't know whether to punch or hug Kakashi.

Kakashi turned to look at Rin and he said, "Hey Rin… It's been a while. Do you still like flowers and collecting shells? How's the apprenticeship with Kushina going?"

Relief. Pure, wonderful relief rushed through Rin so fast that it caused her to choke. She was so overwhelmed that Rin found it almost impossible to breathe. The emotions were so strong that she forgot about Kakashi's personal space issues and her usual shyness. She even forgot that she used to be hopelessly infatuated with him.

Rin fell to her knees and flung her arms around Kakashi's neck as tears began to pour from her eyes. Those questions… They were confirmation, confirmation that Kakashi remembered everything. He even recalled the tiny little things that they had said when they had made their introductions. The old Kakashi would have never said those things. He had been a completely closed book who was only just being revealing his pages before the war had wrenched them apart. Now, after five long years, Kakashi was opening up to them to show how deep Team 7's bonds were.

"God," she sobbed into his shoulder, as she trembled with happiness. "K-Kushina's right. You really are an idiot… W-we missed you so much."

Kakashi just awkwardly patted her on the back. It appeared that he hadn't loosened up to the extent that he could deal with weeping women. Rin straightened with her eyes shining. Forming a seal, she released Kakashi from his restraints. Obito walked over and he helped Kakashi up.

"Still wearing those ridiculous goggles, huh?" Kakashi said, eyeing said item that was propped on Obito's forehead.

"Glad to know you're still an arse," Obito retorted. Rin could see that it took everything for Obito to pretend that seeing his best friend after five years was no big deal.

"Well you know, I have standards to keep up," Kakashi shrugged with a deadpan expression.

"Woah… Since when did you have a sense of humour?" Obito laughed.

The whole scene was so surreal that Rin had to keep blinking to ensure that she wasn't dreaming. By the way Kakashi couldn't stop smiling, it was clear that he found it hard to believe too. Obito turned away for a moment, furiously wiping his eyes on a sleeve. Even now he was still prone to crying, something Rin had always found incredibly sweet.

"Obito," Muta suddenly stood up, interrupting the happy reunion.

Obito cleared his throat as he resumed his professional demeanour. "What is it?" He answered.

Muta glanced at the kikaichu on his finger and Rin felt a twinge of apprehension. Muta glanced back at Obito and said, "The Kumo nins are approaching."


	25. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

"The Kumo nins are approaching." Instantly as Muta's words sunk in, the ecstatic atmosphere vanished.

"How far away?" Obito asked.

"Less than a mile," Muta answered. "I've been using my insect jamming technique to block anyone trying to sense our chakra but it appears that they've found a way around it. At an estimate, they'll be here in less than a few minutes."

"I'll talk to them," Kakashi shrugged and everyone turned to stare at him incredulously. Their concern caused Kakashi to smile because instinctively he knew that Darui and C were not a threat.

"You want to do what?" Obito said in disbelief.

Kakashi didn't answer for a moment as he stared at his old teammate. It was bizarre to think that only less than an hour ago he had fought Obito with the intention to kill. Everything about him was so achingly nostalgic, as if Kakashi had just discovered a long forgotten photograph. Sure he'd physically matured and his skills had almost improved to the extent that they were unrecognisable but he was still essentially the same irritating boy who had unintentionally forced himself into becoming Kakashi's first and best friend.

"Trust me," Kakashi answered him. "I know what to do."

"Kakashi, in case you need reminding, the Kumo nins _kidnapped _you," Obito pointed out, appearing slightly miffed by Kakashi's familiarity with the Kumo ninjas. "Somehow I doubt that they're just going to let you walk free."

Home... Kakashi savoured the word. He suppressed the urge to look back on all his newfound memories. When the seal had broken, in that one perfect moment, the entire world had focused and crystallised before Kakashi eyes. It was impossible _not_ to be overwhelmed by the emotions that were surging through his mind. Yet… Kakashi knew one thing. He was complete.

Bending down, he winced as his exhausted muscles protested and scooped up his kodachi and Kumo forehead protector. Kakashi slung the kodachi over his shoulder and slipped the forehead protector into a pocket. Then, he tore off a strip from the bottom of his shirt and tied it around the lower half of his face. The rough texture of the fabric was so comforting that Kakashi could feel a tiny portion of his fatigue melt away.

"Feel free to contact Konoha," Kakashi told Obito. "But… Trust me. This is something I have to do." Without another word, he left the cave.

The soft glow of dawn caressed the sky as Kakashi walked out into the forest. Trees that had earlier shrouded the place in menacing darkness now gently waved at him. Fresh birdsong cut through the crisp air and everything about the terror of last night was washed away.

Orochimaru. Kakashi's jaw tightened and his fists clenched. Everything made sense now. Orochimaru must have used one of his notorious snakeskin clones to attack him earlier, so that when the real Obito appeared Kakashi would fight him. The Sannin deserved retribution, especially now it appeared that he was preying on children instead of stealing bodies of the fallen.

Kakashi sighed. He knew that Darui and C would be here very soon, so he stood and patiently waited a few metres away from the cave entrance. Either side, he sensed Obito's team position themselves up on the cliff face and in the undergrowth below. He didn't particularly mind, as long as they didn't interfere. The next few minutes were so vital that any wrong move or word could result in a disaster or even an international crisis.

* * *

><p>It had never been in Darui's nature to become anxious. Back in his chunin exam Darui had been the only genin present who hadn't been nervous or even particularly excited. His laid-back demeanour was what saved him on the field, when cool nerves defeated fear. Being a dull person was what made him the antithesis to A's rages and his slightly gormless expression would always mislead people into thinking he was stupid.<p>

In all honesty, Darui avoided responsibility like the plague. He hated the thought of career climbing and had been horribly dismayed when he had managed to get promoted to the rank of jonin when the Third War had broken out.

Yet as C and he stood in a smoking crater, Darui realised that when it came to his student he had been making an uncharacteristically large amount of effort. It wasn't just because the Third Raikage and A had entrusted him with Kakashi either. Darui could have kicked Kakashi out of his flat as soon as the boy became a Kumo ninja. When Kakashi finally started earning, Darui could have stopped paying for his meals.

Behind the scenes, when they had worked alongside other teams in clearing up the north, the Kumo ninjas were still highly suspicious of Kakashi. It couldn't be helped since hatred towards Konoha was ingrained into some people's families; C was a perfect example of that. However Darui had been the one in persuading them to work alongside Kakashi and convinced them not to hold any grudges. After all, C who had hated Konoha for killing his parents was now friends with Kakashi.

Perhaps the reason Darui had made so much effort was because Kakashi reminded Darui of himself. His lazy personality had backfired on him in academy when he had never bothered to make any friends. Like Kakashi his talents had isolated him and his father had died in combat too.

So for the first time, as he held Kakashi's slightly melted radio in his hand, Darui began to feel the cold prickling of apprehension.

"Someone's using a technique to block us sensing them," C frowned, jerking Darui away from his thoughts.

"They didn't cover their tracks," Darui observed as he saw faint traces of footprints leading away from the clearing. "They must be in a hurry. If I were them I'd be searching for cover."

Pocketing the radio, they followed the tracks for several minutes until C suddenly stopped.

"It's faint… But I think Kakashi's only about twenty or so metres away," C murmured.

The soft, springy moss beneath their feet masked their footsteps as they slipped through the trees towards a small cave up ahead. Suddenly, a figure came into focus. Kakashi stood in front of the cave and he appeared to be waiting for something.

"There's a person hiding up on the cliff face above, another in the tree to the left and one in the undergrowth on the right," C muttered. "Reckon it's a trap?"

Darui's eyes fixated on the cloth tied around the lower half of Kakashi's face. A heavy sadness filled his chest and he shook his head. "No," Darui said. "If it were a trap then they would have made their move by now."

Holding up his hands, Darui moved out from behind the tree they were hiding behind and called, "Kakashi."

Slowly Darui and C walked towards him. They stopped a few metres away and the change in their teammate was obvious. The Kumo forehead protector was gone. Now stood a ninja who legitimately held a double allegiance to two villages. It was now completely up to Kakashi to decide his future.

A faint, cool breeze rustled past as Kakashi studied them with a blank expression.

Finally Darui asked, "How much?"

"Everything," Kakashi answered instantly. Silence, so tense that Darui wanted to laugh, was held taut between them. The seal was broken. Knowing that insurmountable resolve was required to break free from the seal, Darui couldn't help but feel a surge of pride. Kakashi was no longer the lost, almost broken boy they had saved from Konoha two years ago. As clichéd as it was, Kakashi had grown up into someone Darui was proud to call his student as well as friend.

"I just wanted to say…" Kakashi paused for a moment as he struggled to find the right words. Darui waited patiently, knowing all too well Kakashi's difficulty in expressing his emotions.

"Are you returning back to Konoha?" C asked slowly, as he attempted to hide the incredulity from his voice. Darui could understand his disbelief. Someone from Konoha clearly wanted Kakashi dead. However… Darui's eyes glazed over as he recalled the expression on the Yellow Flash's face when he had been forced to abandon his student. There were still people who clearly cared about the boy.

"Konoha will always be my home," Kakashi finally answered. "And I'll always be loyal to the village. There are people who mean a lot to me who live there, I could never abandon them."

"But they tried to _kill_ you," C cut in.

Kakashi laughed softly. "You know…" He said, glancing at C thoughtfully. "This mission would have been a lot easier if villages shared information."

Darui frowned and waited for Kakashi to continue. "The man who attempted to kill me was… A war criminal to say the least," Kakashi told them. "And I'm positive that he's behind the children's disappearances."

"He was working outside of the Hokage's orders?" Darui narrowed his eyes. Konoha had the reputation for upholding rigid morals on the surface. Blatant war crimes and kidnappings certainly was not something that would be on their agenda.

"Definitely," Kakashi nodded. "He's here too… That malicious chakra; it belongs to him."

Darui began to mentally rifle through Kumo's bingo book in his head. If the Konoha ninja was here then that meant they were likely to have gone rogue. Slowly, Darui recalled some recent rumours a spy had picked up in Hot Water Country about one of the legendary Sannin abandoning Konoha. It was a well-known fact that the group had fallen apart after the Second War when Tsunade had left the village… Jiraiya was still a menace, since a spy had sighted him in Frost Country recently. That could only mean Orochimaru. Darui had never had the misfortune to encounter any of the Sannin but if the rumours were true then the man was a sadistic bastard.

Recalling the tales about the massacre of an Iwa outpost in Waterfall Country, Darui wondered if Kakashi had been there. Just the thought caused his jaw to tighten and his slouch to vanish. Seeing the change in Darui's demeanour, Kakashi nodded in confirmation.

C, however, appeared terribly confused as what to do. Protocol dictated that they subdue Kakashi; drag him back to Kumo so the seal could be placed on him once more. Darui, however, knew that doing so would be useless. Not only were they currently outnumbered but also the sealing process would be almost impossible in the current mind-set Kakashi had. In any case… Darui had felt slightly guilty about replacing Minato and partially lying to the boy the first time round. If he had to do it again, Darui would find it unbearable to even look at Kakashi.

"I don't hate you for kidnapping me," Kakashi suddenly voiced causing C to stare at him in surprise. Slowly he pulled out his Kumo forehead protector from a pocket. "You saved my life, treated me as one of your own, repaired and re-forged the White Fang and gave me the best possible training anyone could wish for… If anything, I'm indebted to Kumo."

Kakashi's eyes crinkled into a smile and he offered the forehead protector to Darui. "Thank you," he said.

Darui stared at the shiny, metal surface. The engraved Kumo symbol winked back at him. He recalled Kakashi showing him the forehead protector when A had presented it to him. A sense of belonging had been written all over Kakashi's face. Kakashi had worn the forehead protector with the same amount of pride that any other Kumo nin had. The few handful that had gone through the same sealing process had attempted to leave or had tried to refuse becoming a Kumo ninja. Sure, the seal had wiped away his memories, however the fact was Kakashi had _chosen_ to stay in Kumo. The choice had been made from his volition and Darui had always admired the boy's bravery for taking that risk.

A slow smile spread across Darui's face, "Keep it."

Kakashi's eyes widened in surprise.

"A dull person like me has always lacked talent with profound words," Darui admitted with his unknowing modesty. "But… Keep it as a token of your friendship with Kumo and a reminder that your bonds extend beyond Konoha."

Darui then glanced around and suddenly called, "Whoever is the captain of the team from Konoha, I'd like a word."

In one tense moment, a dark haired Konoha ninja suddenly appeared from a tree to the left. Instantly, C slid into a fighting stance but Darui shook his head. The thoroughly dishevelled Konoha nin joined Kakashi's side and he propped a pair of orange goggles upon his forehead.

"What do you want?" The Konoha ninja asked, hostility written all over his face. Darui maintained a languid expression as if he was meeting an old friend rather than an enemy ninja.

"If you're here for more than just trade agreement then I thought you'd like to know that I've asked for a Kumo ANBU force to investigate the area," Darui told him.

The hostility vanished and a baffled expression crossed the Konoha ninja's face. "Why are you telling me this?" He asked.

"No one wants a war," Darui shrugged. "So I wouldn't want a clash between our two villages."

Darui yawned and then said to C, "We better go and send a report to Boss."

"… Right," C nodded, appearing as confused as the Konoha captain.

"Hey kid," Darui glanced at the Konoha ninja. "What's your name?"

"Uchiha Obito," the Konoha captain told him. "What's yours?"

"Darui," he said. A hard expression crossed his face and Darui added, "Uchiha, make sure that there aren't any more attempts on Kakashi's life."

Obito appeared stunned. Then, slowly a large grin fanned its way across his face. "That's a promise," he assured him. "Try and restrain yourselves from kidnapping him again."

"We'll try," Darui laughed.

"I am here you know," Kakashi muttered. Obito shot Kakashi a grin and suddenly Darui guessed that the Konoha captain had been Kakashi's friend before the war.

Kakashi offered a hand to C who shook it with a smile. "Good luck," C said.

Darui then ruffled Kakashi's hair. There were so many things that he wanted to say. Like remind Kakashi to work on his stamina and keep practicing the technique they'd been working on. However all he managed to say was "Look after yourself."

C and he turned away, leaving Obito and Kakashi. They walked through the forest in contemplative silence and it was only when the made it down into the town did C voice, "So is there really an ANBU team coming?"

"No," Darui shrugged. "I only said that to see the Konoha ninja's reaction. By the looks of things they must have come here to investigate Orochimaru's whereabouts."

"So what do we tell the Shimo nins?" C asked.

"We'll send for an ANBU force and leave it to them to take over," Darui sighed. "It's best if we tell Boss what's happened in person."

For a moment C and Darui stopped as they imagined A breaking another desk and destroying yet another wall. Simultaneously, they winced.

Darui groaned as C laughed, "Good luck breaking the news, captain."

* * *

><p>It only took Obito's team three days to arrive back in Konoha, leaving the ANBU team to investigate Koori. However neither ANBU teams from Konoha or Kumo would be successful. After carefully avoiding each other, both would find an empty labyrinth of passages beneath the shrine. Several bodies were found, three survivors were saved and the rest of the children were missing. Orochimaru had, once again, slipped away.<p>

The thick, forests of Fire Country greeted Kakashi as they walked along an all too familiar road the led back to Konoha. Instantly when they had descended the Frost Country Mountains, a humid air welcomed Kakashi. With the warm sun shining down, he suddenly realised it was years since he had seen weather like this. No more snow. No more gale force winds or bitterly cold nights. Though Kakashi would miss Lightning Country's majestic peaks, he was glad to walk through lush forest once more.

Slowly, the main gates of the village appeared on the horizon. "Huh," Kakashi said as he squinted. "When were the gates re-painted?"

"Last year," Rin told him. "The Fourth wanted to give the village a fresh look after the war."

Personally, Kakashi preferred the old red gates however the new green was certainly cheery. It was strange. The last time Kakashi had walked through those gates he had been part of the reinforcements for the Waterfall outpost. Obito had already told Kakashi that Gai, Tamotsu and Anko had survived the war. Idly, Kakashi wondered how they were. Was Gai still wearing that ridiculous jumpsuit of his? Probably.

He had worried whether Anko was ok; after all she had been Orochimaru's apprentice. However, Rin had assured him that she was indeed fine. Knowing Anko, as soon as she would see Kakashi she would probably scream at him for being an idiot.

"You've already told Sensei that I'm coming home right?" Kakashi asked Obito.

"Nope," Obito grinned. "Thought it would be a good surprise."

"Idiot," Aoba muttered and Obito gave him a scowl.

Luckily the Kumo attire Kakashi was still wearing was conservative. He hadn't earned the famed white flak jacket, so instead he just wore black regulation pants and a long sleeved shirt. The shirt had always been slightly too big so Kakashi had to roll up the sleeves so they wouldn't get in the way if he had to form any seals. Darui had given him plated fingerless gloves and arm guards in the vague hope that they would help to keep Kakashi safe. The white, Kumo shin guards did give him away somewhat. Kakashi sincerely hoped that some jumped up chunin hoping for a promotion wouldn't attack him.

"Don't worry I think people will be more surprised at the fact that you're still alive," Rin smiled.

Kakashi gave her a bemused look and Rin explained, "Even after Orochimaru abandoned Konoha, the Hokage and Sarutobi-sama thought it would be best for it to be kept secret that you were kidnapped."

"Only Team 7, Kushina and the higher ups knew," Obito told him. "Sensei had you declared M.I.A. Otherwise, when you returned people would be… Well you know how they can be."

Kakashi turned to Aoba and Muta and said, "So you two thought I was missing in action?"

"To put it mildly it was surprising to find you in Kumo uniform," Aoba said as Muta nodded. "Though it took me a while to recognise you without the mask."

They fell silent as they walked through the gates and Kakashi's senses went into overload as he drank in the village he hadn't set foot in for five years. The buildings were so unlike the lofty shops and apartments that were built into the mountains in Kumo. Konoha's haphazard buildings were like the village: cheerful, chaotic yet full of vibrant life.

"Hey Obito!" A voice called. They turned to see two ten-year-old boys sitting at the main gate station. One was obviously an Uchiha with his dark hair and even darker eyes. The other was rather plain looking with a weird stare.

The dark haired boy whacked his friend around the back of the head and laughed, "Tenzo, you're spacing out again."

Tenzo rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and muttered, "Thanks for that, Shisui."

"Shisui," Obito grinned as he signed in his team. "You guys on station duty again, eh?"

"Yeah," Shisui sighed, appearing thoroughly bored. "Our turn on the rota." Suddenly Shisui narrowed his eyes and he stared at Kakashi.

"Hang, you're Hatake Kakashi!" He exclaimed with obvious excitement. "Obi-nii said you were M.I.A."

"Hatake Kakashi?" The other boy muttered thoughtfully. "The White Fang's son?"

"Yeah, we just happened to find him wandering around," Obito said casually, as if Kakashi was a lost pet or a senile pensioner. Kakashi shot Obito an unappreciative scowl.

Tenzo was staring very hard at Kakashi's shin guards causing the teenager to shift on the spot awkwardly, which was saying something. Not many things could make Hatake Kakashi uncomfortable but the kid's stare was freaky.

"We need to report to the Hokage," Obito said. "See you later."

"See you later," Shisui grinned. He then suddenly called to Kakashi as they began to walk away, "It's good to have you back! Obi-nii was getting pretty depressed."

"I was not," Obito muttered as Rin giggled.

Kakashi stared up at the new, fourth face carved into the Hokage Mountain with a smile and he thought, _It's good to be back._

* * *

><p>"<em>Give up," the enemy ninja said as he pointed his kunai towards Naruto's throat.<em>

_Panting Naruto began to drag himself to his feet with dogged determination and he growled, "Can I just say one thing?"_

"_I don't feel like listening!" The enemy ninja yelled. With one furious roar he grabbed Naruto and hurled him into a tree, slamming the deadly blade into his chest._

"_Just die already," the ninja snarled giving the blade a vicious twist._

"_You should give up…" Naruto breathed and he suddenly grinned. The enemy ninja's eyes dilated as Naruto vanished and he felt the ominous presence of the ninja behind him. "On me giving up!"_

An abrupt knocking suddenly broke Minato's attention. He sighed, staring at the page of the book he'd been focusing on. Jiraiya's novel was well and truly phenomenal. The plot was ingenious, full of twists and turns, leaving the reader breathless after every chapter. However it was the main protagonist, Naruto, who Minato loved. Naruto seemed to embody everything his sensei was and from the very first page Minato had grown to love the character. Despite each seemingly hopeless situation Naruto went through, the man fought back with his gutsy determination and pure morals.

Truth be told, for the past few days since Jiraiya had given Minato the novel, he had found it impossible to put down. Though Kushina had never been a great lover of books even she had been intrigued after Minato had described the main character to her. Since his wife had started reading the book Minato had regularly had to steal it back from her.

The person knocked on Minato's office door again and the Hokage snapped the book shut, shoving it into his desk drawer. With a cough, he pretended to shuffle some papers.

"Come in," Minato said as he picked up the reports he had been supposed to sign off.

The door opened and Obito's team walked in. The team were tired and travel stained however the team captain had a huge grin upon his face.

"Ah good to see you back," Minato nodded. He dug a report out from the pile on his desk.

Obito took it from him as Rin, Muta and Aoba crowded in the doorway.

"The ANBU team just reported back," Minato explained. "Some survivors were found however they were unsuccessful in locating Orochimaru's whereabouts. The trail has gone cold."

Ever since the report had come in this morning, Minato had been beyond frustrated. It was hard not to let personal feelings get in the way however Minato had been so tempted to find Orochimaru himself. It was impossible not to despise the Sannin for what he did to Kakashi as well as all the innocent people he kidnapped and experimented on. However, Minato was the Hokage. Revenge was not an option when you had to safeguard an entire village.

"Good work on the tip off about the Kumo ANBU investigating the area too," Minato continued. "Where did you get that information from anyway?"

Obito cleared his throat and Rin said, "Sensei… There's someone you should see."

Minato had sensed a fifth presence earlier but hadn't mentioned it. The presence felt so strangely familiar that he'd assumed it was another ninja who wanted to speak to him.

Rin, Muta and Aoba moved to the side to allow the fifth person inside the office. As the person walked towards him, Minato's heart stopped.

With a slow smile they said, "It's been a while… Hey Sensei?"

"Kakashi?" Minato breathed. Aoba and Muta subtly left the office leaving Team 7 together.

"The seal's been broken," Kakashi said. "I remember everything."

Attempting to quell his emotions Minato cleared his throat in effort to act professional. He forced himself to remain in his seat and he said, "Prove it."

Kakashi paused for a moment as he tried to find a memory. Finally he said, "After the Hokage gave you clearance to be my sensei, you visited my dad in the compound. You didn't know at the time but Kushina and I were watching from the inside of the house."

Minato's eyes widened. This wasn't the time that Minato thought it was… Was it?

"Dad was showing you the flowerbeds and you bent down to smell one… And he performed that stupid technique that was a craze when Jiraiya and he were kids," Kakashi continued. "One thousand years of-"

"Pain," Minato finished as he winced at the all too humiliating memory. Rin giggled as Obito, who no doubt recalled that during the bell test Minato performed that very same technique on him, burst out laughing.

Kakashi's eyes crinkled up in to a smile and Minato found himself beaming. So many sleepless nights had passed as Minato had constantly re-analysed Kakashi's retrieval over and over again. He couldn't help it. Was there something he missed? If it had been someone else, could they have saved Kakashi? Neither Kushina nor he forgave themselves.

Recently it had been a constant battle with the council as what to do with Kakashi. Minato had the sneaking suspicion that Danzo would send out an assassin, if he hadn't already. As time slowly ran out, Minato's guilt had increased. When Jiraiya had brought news of Kakashi a few days ago, Minato had tired to suppress any growing hope. Even if they did manage to locate Kakashi, he still had amnesia. However, after so many long years, Minato's student stood before him; perhaps even more complete than he had been when he had left the village.

Shock and relief shook Minato. He could feel years of tension easing away from his body as he stared at his student. Minato stood up so fast that his chair fell over and he moved forwards, pulling Kakashi into an embrace. "I'm sorry we missed you the first time round," he breathed.

Kakashi pulled away with a smile and he said, "It wasn't your fault, Sensei."

Minato glanced at Obito and Rin, and then his gaze fell upon Kakashi. Finally, after five years, Team 7 was reunited.

The job as sensei was always a deeply underestimated job. Jonins always moaned and groaned about being given the dull job as a genin instructor however, Minato could see when it took just as much responsibility as being in ANBU. They never warned you how deeply you could be attached to your students, how excruciating it would be to lose one and how as Sensei you were the one holding the team together.

Now all of his precious students were here, safe and even stronger than before. Minato could feel himself glowing with happiness and pride.

His face split into a huge grin and he beamed, "Welcome back, Kakashi."

* * *

><p>For the rest of the day Kakashi was stuck going through the necessary formalities of his arrival. Councillors were to be informed, meetings were to be called and Kakashi had to go through a medical examination. It had been frustrating beyond belief because all Kakashi wanted to do was see Kushina, catch up on lost time and go home to see what kind of state the Hatake compound was in.<p>

Finally at around seven in the evening, after Rin and Inoichi had announced Kakashi was both physically and mentally stable, Minato allowed Kakashi to go home.

"It's pretty cool that you get time off," Obito said as they walked to Kakashi's home.

"That's only because they want me to see a psychiatrist," Kakashi pointed out. "That means at least two months off…"

Kakashi frowned. He wasn't entirely sure what to do with those two months, as Kakashi hadn't had a day off since he was five years old. Sure he would train but training always had its limits. Back in Kumo Darui and C always kept him amused in their spare time, Kakashi couldn't help but wonder whether it would be the same here.

Not to mention that Kakashi had even darker concerns. Though he knew Minato would never pressure him, the councillors would likely be demanding for him to divulge information on Kumo. Kakashi was loath to give anything away. Kumo hadn't interrogated him for information and he severely doubted that the councillors wanted the information for a diplomatic cause. The village elders had even wanted Kakashi's kodachi to be confiscated so the new blade could be examined. However Minato had vetoed the decision saying that as the blade contained shards of the White Fang, it was Kakashi's to keep. Anyway, those who tried to take the blade away without Kakashi's permission always received a small, nasty electric shock.

Unlike the councillors, Minato had promised Kakashi that he would now do his best to reach out and forge new relations with Kumo. Since after seeing how well his student had been treated, the Hokage had realised that the villages were not so different after all.

"Hey Kakashi have you thought about trying out this new fangled thing everyone's talking about?" Obito asked, shooting him a sneaky look. "You know, relaxing?"

Kakashi decided not to deem Obito's joke as reply worthy and continued to walk. He found himself slipping into a strange daze as Obito continued to jabber on about all of things he missed.

A soft evening glow coated the buildings around him. People bustled past as they hurried home or lazily strolled out for the evening. Kakashi didn't even notice the strange looks some people gave him or the ninjas who were whispering. He was too caught up in the surreal nostalgia of returning back to Konoha. While stuck in a miserably cold tent in Waterfall Country, Kakashi had tried his best not to think about the sunlit village. In Kumo he couldn't even recall the wonderfully vibrant buildings or the famous lush forest. But as he walked through town, Kakashi realised how much he missed Konoha. Everything from the people he cared about to the eternally warm weather.

The village elders had requested ANBU to follow Kakashi for security purposes however Minato had yet again overridden their decision. Instead Obito, Rin or Kushina were to be with him at all times. As annoying as Obito could be, he was much better company than some ANBU who were trying to stay hidden.

A faint smile crossed Kakashi's face and he found himself looking forward to the next two months. Sure, the psychotherapy was going to be a pain and he had to suffer the humiliation of being a rank lower than Obito, but Kakashi had a lot of time to catch up on. He planned to fill his days with training sessions with his teammates, levelling his rivalry score with Gai, spending time with Kushina and even possibly attempting an awkward conversation with Anko.

"Kushina has a hospital appointment," Obito told him.

"Hospital appointment?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow. He couldn't remember Kushina ever being ill.

"Yeah, don't worry she's fine," Obito assured him. "She'll be here soon enough."

Just when Kakashi was about to ask why Kushina had a hospital appointment if she was fine, the words died away in his throat.

When Kakashi had been walking to his old home he had been expecting the compound to be in disrepair. He had imagined the garden to be overrun with weeds and strangled by nettles. Instead, cheerful flowers greeted him. The sweet scent of pollen filled Kakashi's senses and he stared at the well-kept flowerbeds in amazement. Slowly, he walked down the path and into the training yard.

The Hatake training scarecrow had been given a new makeover, complete with a mask and a new straw hat that was set at a jaunty angle. The yard had been swept clean and as Kakashi glanced over to the house with windows that shone in the evening sun.

"It was Kushina's idea," Obito explained. "She moved out to live with Sensei but she wanted to keep the place clean for when you returned home."

Kakashi couldn't find the right words to express how he felt. Instead in a dreamlike state he approached the house. It was as if he had never left Konoha. No, after Sakumo had died the house began to decay from neglect and Kakashi had found the place suffocating. The house now appeared the way it looked when his father had been _alive_, full of warmth and airy brightness.

He walked up the porch steps and gently placed a hand on the door. Obito had handed him the keys before they had left the Hokage Tower and Kakashi slid the key into the lock. Any genin could pick the lock of the door but then neither Sakumo nor Kakashi had bothered to replace the door. After all who would be insane enough to rob the White Fang? Any self-respecting ninja would place traps around their home anyway.

Slowly, Kakashi turned the key and the lock opened with a satisfying click. But just as he was about to open the door he suddenly heard a voice call, "Sensei?"

Kakashi froze.

He found that his hand shook as he released the key and Obito decided that that was the time to conveniently body flicker away.

Slowly, Kakashi turned to see a woman standing at the entrance of the yard. The bag she had been carrying crashed to the floor and several cleaning products rolled onto the ground. The woman ignored them; she simply stood and stared at Kakashi with wide eyes.

"Kakashi?" She breathed as he walked down the porch steps. Kakashi found himself moving faster and faster until he pulled into her a tight embrace.

The woman was shaking as he hugged her and finally, Kakashi whispered, "I'm home… Kushina."

He released her and was alarmed to see trails of tears tracing their way down Kushina's cheek. Uzumaki Kushina never cried or was lost for words. Just as Kakashi was about to ask her if she was ok, Kushina suddenly let out a furious yell and she gave him a swift whack around the head.

"You stupid, stupid boy," she exclaimed. "Getting yourself kidnapped. It's been five _years_. Five years and you waltz in just like that."

Kakashi rubbed his stinging head with a sheepish smile. "Sorry," he said.

"Sorry doesn't cut it," Kushina huffed but her face softened. "Honestly you really are an idiot, just like Sensei was."

Kushina pulled him into a hug and she squeezed Kakashi so hard that he could barely breathe. "Don't ever do that to me again," Kushina whispered.

Kakashi felt his body relax. As clichéd as it was, it was this kind of motherly comfort he had been craving while posted out during the war.

After Kakashi thought he felt one of his ribs crack, Kushina moved away with her eyes shining. She grinned, "Welcome home, Kakashi."

Kakashi smiled but he suddenly felt something that caused him to look down. Kushina's hair, which was now so long that it reached to her ankles, was not the only thing that had grown. Her abdomen was slightly swollen and Kakashi could detect the faintest life force coming from her belly.

Kakashi's eyes widened with realisation and he said, "Kushina you're-"

"That's right," Kushina beamed as she glowed with the same pride and happiness that Minato had been wearing earlier. "I'm pregnant."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: This is the end of the arc and you'll probably be able to guess what the next will be about. Arc V will be the last of Part I of the story but I'll explain more about Part II when we get to that point ^^**

**Also the dialogue and scene from the extract of **Tales of an Utterly Gutsy Shinobi **are taken from episode 128.**

**Thanks for reading and I hope you liked the chapter. Also quick thank you to those who've reviewed/faved/followed this. I do appreciate it and I do actually take the time to read your profiles because I'm always intrigued as to who is reading this story, so again thank you!**


	26. Arc V: Farewell to an Era: Chapter 25

**Arc V: Farewell to an Era**

**Chapter 25**

"Have you heard?"

"Heard what?"

"Hatake Kakashi is back."

"Hatake... As is the White Fang's son? I thought he died during the war?"

"No, he's definitely alive and he's grown up into an absolutely _gorgeous_ young man. He must take a thing or two after his sensei-"

Kakashi rolled his eyes as Kushina and he strolled past a group of gossiping women who were peering through a shop window. Rumours ranging from wildly romantic to plain outrageous followed Kakashi wherever he went. For the past week and a half he had been back he'd decided kept his head low, only ever venturing out to the training grounds.

Kushina had gleefully told Kakashi all the rumours about his disappearance. Some people argued that a strange technique over Kakashi that had taken him two years to break, causing him turn into a hermit who lurked in the mountains of Snow Country. Others believed that had he had been seduced and whisked away by some wild woman who lived in some exotic land far south of Konoha. Kakashi couldn't help but laugh at that one, as he had only been thirteen when the war had ended. The rumour that was closest to the truth was one that Kakashi had been kidnapped by an enemy nation and had committed a daring escape after two years of being held hostage.

No one, it seemed, even thought that he had abandoned Konoha. After all, Kakashi was the son of the hero Hatake Sakumo. It just wasn't in Kakashi's blood to betray Konoha.

Luckily, the higher ups hadn't bothered Kakashi yet either. All he had done was have a session with his new psychiatrist, which had been a complete waste of time. All the woman had done was hold up strange looking ink blots that looked remarkably like bloodstains and asked what Kakashi thought he saw. As Kakashi's answers had become more disturbing than the last, the woman had made concerned noises as she scribbled down something on a clipboard.

"How long did they say it would take to make your shirts?" Kushina asked.

"They should be ready in a few days," Kakashi said.

Kakashi had soon discovered that since he was no longer ten years old anymore, none of his clothes fitted of course. The problem with wearing a shirt with a fitted mask was that they were specially made so for the time being Kakashi had no wardrobe. He couldn't borrow any of Obito's shirts without incurring the wrath of the Uchiha clan so Kakashi had scoured his house until he eventually found clothes that did fit him; his father's clothes.

Kushina almost had a heart attack the first time she saw Kakashi dressed in his father's old long-sleeved shirt and white t-shirt that bore Hatake insignia on one of the sleeves. It felt strange wearing his father's clothes especially since Kakashi could detect that faintest of traces of his father's scent. Yet… Before Kakashi had set out for the war, he wouldn't have been able to stand the sight of these clothes. Now he wore the clothes with pride.

Although, it didn't help the rumours. If anything it stimulated them even more, as those who remembered the days of when the White Fang walked the streets of Konoha gaped openly at Kakashi.

Kakashi was pleased to see that other than the extra head on the Hokage Monument, nothing about Konoha had really changed. However it was when he had visited the small house that Kushina and Minato lived in, Kakashi had truly felt the wrench of passing time. There were so many things he missed, in-jokes that he didn't understand and memories he would never share. The photographs in Minato and Kushina's house were a testament to that. Kakashi had been far away in the mountains of Kumo during Minato's inauguration ceremony as Hokage and Kushina and Minato's wedding. Rin and Obito had been promoted without him.

"How long have you and Minato been married?" Kakashi asked Kushina as they walked down a small, leafy lane.

"Hmm," Kushina tapped her chin. "Come next month then it would be half a year."

She laughed, "You see, though Minato and I had been a couple for about two years, I didn't want to get married. Well I did, but I wanted you to be there at the wedding. After all I was there for Sensei's."

Kakashi's eyes widened. "So what happened?" He asked.

"Biwako happened," Kushina scowled. "The old hag kept pressuring us to get married. After all it isn't becoming for the Hokage to not only refuse to live in the mansion but also to live with his girlfriend. People want an old fashioned role model you see, y'know wife and kids, the whole package."

Kushina sighed and she rubbed her abdomen. "I'm sorry," she said. "You should have been there."

Kakashi shrugged, then he smiled. "I'll be there when your child is born," he said.

Kushina's face split into a smile and she grinned, "You better be."

"It's a promise," Kakashi assured her. "How long have you been? … You know?" He gestured at her stomach as he struggled to find the right pregnancy terminology.

"About thirteen weeks. I finished my first tri… tri-thingy…" Kushina frowned. "I don't know what it's called, ask Minato."

It didn't surprise Kakashi the slightest that Minato knew more about pregnancies than Kushina did. He had seen the tottering pile pregnancy guides that Minato had been reading, which he had apparently borrowed off Mikoto. According to Minato, Kushina had skipped morning sickness altogether and just craved even more ramen than usual. Kakashi wouldn't be surprised if the baby turned out to be made of ramen.

Kushina gave Kakashi a sideways look with a slight frown. "You've changed," she said.

"That much huh?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow. He knew that he had relaxed a ridiculous amount but then when you lived with Darui for two years it couldn't be helped really. Kakashi had just unconsciously absorbed some of Darui's easy-going vibes.

"Well you've changed too," Kakashi pointed out. "You're a lot more… Domesticated."

Kushina snorted with laughter. "Terrible isn't it?" She grinned, and then she pouted. "After the first two months of the pregnancy I was told that I wasn't allowed to take any S or A ranked missions. Can you believe that?"

Kakashi could believe that but if there was one pregnant woman who could take on a band of enemy ninjas that would be Kushina.

Kakashi glanced up at the sky that was a wash of blue. Rin and Obito had changed too. Rin no longer stuttered and she had grown into a confident, capable kunoichi. Obito, god forbid, had actually matured. Kakashi sincerely hoped that he was no longer as arrogant as he used to be. It had been a strange relief to find that Gai was exactly the same as Kakashi had remembered. He winced, not wanting to recall _that_ reunion.

Suddenly the sound of laughing children filled the air and Kakashi realised that they were approaching the academy. The same familiar building came into sight. Everything was just how Kakashi remembered it. The same dirt filled playground with the ancient tree and decidedly dodgy rope swing.

Academy must have been over for the day as children were spilling out while parents or older siblings stood waiting. They stopped for a moment, watching the warm scene.

Kakashi remembered that most of the time it had been either one of Sakumo's summons or Kushina who had collected him. On those rare and wonderful occasions when the White Fang did turn up to collect his son, children used to openly gawk. Parents who were ninjas would bow their heads in respect and those who were civilians used to shift away in fear. Though Kakashi used to find it a little embarrassing he would always savour those rare walks back home with his father.

"Mum, I seriously am too old to be picked up. I can walk home by myself!" Kakashi heard one boy protest.

Kushina who had also overheard chuckled evilly. "I can't wait to embarrass my kid when they go to academy," she laughed.

"I feel sorry for them already," Kakashi muttered dryly and Kushina gave him a gentle whack across the back of the head.

Kushina glanced over to see two boys with dark hair walking together. Kakashi recognised the eldest as Shisui, Obito's cousin.

"Mikoto not picking you up today, Itachi?" Kushina asked.

Itachi? Kakashi squinted at the small six year old. The last thing he had heard about Itachi, the boy had been a toddler.

"There are some clan issues going on," Itachi said carefully as they approached Kushina and Kakashi.

"A member of the force went missing a few days ago," Shisui explained. "He was Fugaku's second in command, y'know one of the best in the clan."

"Hmm Fugaku must be pretty stressed," Kushina nodded, wincing at the thought of a stressed Fugaku. "Hope the clan has some luck. Does the Hokage know?"

"I'm sure he does," Shisui answered as Itachi nodded.

Kakashi frowned. Both of the boys' answers seemed slightly off… Kakashi wasn't sure why but he had a feeling that there was a lot more going on in the Uchiha clan.

"Anyway we're going to go and train. 'Tach has his academy exams in a few months time," Shisui said. He grinned at Kakashi and added, "He's totally going to beat your score _and_ the Hokage's."

"I'm sure you'll do well," Kakashi said to Itachi. He meant it. Itachi was after all Fugaku's son and was most probably the Uchiha clan's latest prodigy.

"Thank you," Itachi nodded with impeccable politeness. He then turned to Kushina and said, "It was nice seeing you, Kushina-san, Kakashi-san."

"See you around!" Shisui smiled.

They stood there for a moment, watching the two boys walk away. "That kid really needs to loosen up," Kushina sighed as soon as Itachi was out of earshot. "Mikoto worries about him you know. Good thing he's got Shisui and Obito."

Just when Kakashi was about to point out that being under the influence of Shisui and Obito might not necessarily be a good thing, a flash of colour suddenly caught his eye.

Kakashi left Kushina's side, weaving his way through parents, teachers and children, Kakashi stopped by the academy swing. Several people were goggling at him and were whispering loudly but at that moment he didn't care.

Carefully folded, in a neat square was a piece of red linen left on the seat of the swing. Kakashi had spotted it earlier but had thought it was something one of the children had left behind. Now, however, he wasn't so sure.

Kakashi picked up the cloth and as it tumbled out of its folds he discovered that it was a scarf. Stunned, Kakashi ran the rough home spun silk between his fingers as the crimson scarf flashed in the sunlight.

It couldn't be… The scarf that Kushina had given him for his eleventh birthday was lost. Kakashi had left it behind in his tent before he had been set out on that fateful scouting mission.

Kakashi scrunched up the scarf and pressed it to his nose. The scent was slightly diluted through his mask but Kakashi found himself overwhelmed. The scarf had only been recently washed and had the fresh smell of fabric conditioner combined with the slightly spicy scent of whoever had left the scarf there. Somehow… Though most of the smells were alien, there was a hint of nostalgia there that Kakashi couldn't place his finger on.

He turned around to stare at Kushina who was suddenly occupied in a conversation with one of the academy teachers. Then again… It definitely _looked_ like his scarf and Rin had returned the medi-pack to him a few days ago. Apparently Gai had given her some of his stuff after the war had ended but the scarf had mysteriously vanished.

_Someone probably just accidentally left this here, _Kakashi thought, although it did seem strange that someone would leave a scarf so neatly folded on a swing. He glanced around and approached a girl who was nearby. The girl was evidently already a graduated kunoichi with her forehead protector tied around her neck and was probably an older sibling. She was leaning against a fence, her eyes fixated on a buttercup that she was twirling between her fingers.

"Excuse me," Kakashi said. "Did you happen to see who left this scarf on the swing?"

The girl slowly shredded the petals of the flower. She gave Kakashi a strange look and answered, "No… I can't say I did."

She then dropped the remains of the buttercup and walked straight out of the academy playground. Kakashi knew it had been a fairly odd question to ask a person but he didn't expect that kind of reaction. Maybe he should have re-phrased it?

Frowning, Kakashi walked over to Kushina who had finished talking to the academy instructor.

Just when Kakashi was about to hand the scarf to the instructor as lost property, Kushina suddenly said, "I see Anko returned your scarf."

"Anko?" Kakashi said bemusedly. He scanned the area for a dirty waif who hadn't washed in weeks.

"Yes, Anko," Kushina said, as she took the scarf from his hands and wrapped it around his neck. "I saw her lurking around earlier when we were talking to Itachi and Shisui. You just spoke to her."

Then it hit him. "Anko?" Kakashi said in disbelief as he recalled the strange girl who looked nothing like the Anko he knew. "That was Anko?"

Kushina burst out laughing. "Men," she said incredulously. "You honestly didn't recognise her?"

Kakashi shook his head with a groan. Now he knew the girl had looked so offended.

"I think you have some explaining to do," Kushina laughed.

"Looks like it," Kakashi sighed. Who knew that someone could change so much in the space of two years? Who knew that Anko could look, well, like a girl? It was ironic that despite the fact Anko appeared to have changed beyond recognition, Kakashi had to do what he always did around Anko. Apologise.

* * *

><p>There were times that Obito listened so intently Rin, that he appeared to be not listening to her at all. The problem was that when Obito really concentrated, he would gain a glazed expression. In reality he would listen to each word with utmost rapture and his normally wandering attention span would be solely fixated upon her. When Rin talked, Obito would allow her words to wash over him and allow her soft melodic voice to fill his head. Normally boring topics suddenly became interesting but what fascinated Obito the most was Rin herself.<p>

Obito would often find himself counting the different shades in her hair, the slight crease in her forehead would tell him when she was worried and Rin would always tap her chin when she was thinking, a mannerism she had picked up from Kushina.

What entranced him the most, however, was the movement of her lips. Sometimes he found that he couldn't stop staring at them. It would be a lie to say that Rin's lips always looked moist and soft. Today for instance they were slightly cracked. But how many times had Obito fantasised kissing those lips? All he knew was that it was far too many.

Obito was also incredibly glad that his eyes were dark. Otherwise Rin would notice that every time Obito looked at her, his pupils would dilate like crazy.

It was then, as they were sitting on the sofa in the jonin lounge, that Obito realised he was well and truly in love with Rin. His feelings for his teammate had evolved from a childhood crush into something so acutely intense that Obito could feel himself teetering on the edge of desperation.

"Obito? Are you even listening?" Rin asked, cutting Obito from his revelation.

"Huh? Yeah, yeah I am," Obito shook himself. He had. He had enjoyed every moment of her story about one of the patient's she had been treating at the hospital.

"You know if you find it boring you can always just say," Rin said, appearing a little put out.

"What? No I always find what you say interesting," Obito interjected and the tips of his ears grew red.

Rin smiled, "That's sweet of you but you don't have to lie to me."

"No I really meant it!" Obito protested.

Cleary not believing him, Rin gave him another smile. She then stood up. "I've got to go and do a shift at the hospital," She told him. "Remember we're picking up Kakashi from Kushina's at half eight so we can go out."

"Like I would ever be late," Obito scoffed causing Rin to smile.

"See you later," She said.

"Right, see you," Obito nodded. As soon as Rin had walked out of the jonin lounge, Obito flopped back into the sofa and let out a groan. He pulled his goggles down over his eyes, wishing the sofa would just open up and swallow him whole.

Asuma who had been examining some leaflets nearby sat down in Rin's place.

"So when are you going to ask her out on a date?" Asuma asked.

Seeing Obito's incredulous face Asuma shrugged, "What? Obito, I think everyone and his dog can see it it's that obvious. Well everyone apart from Rin of course."

"It's not that obvious," Obito scowled.

"Come on, you've liked her since you were like _ten_," Asuma laughed. "It's been what? Six years?"

"There was a war for three of those years," Obito spluttered. "And anyway… I _can't_. We're friends. It would be like you asking Kurenai out on a date."

"You're right, dating Kurenai would be weird," Asuma agreed. "But that's completely different."

"Doesn't stop you trying to spy on her at the hot springs," Obito muttered.

Asuma then loomed way too close for comfort. Before Obito could ask him what he was doing, Asuma suddenly grabbed Obito's goggles pulled them forwards as far as he could then let them go with a resounding snap.

"Ow!" Obito wrenched his goggles up and rubbed his stinging face furiously. "Bastard! What the hell was that for?"

"For being an idiot," Asuma smirked. "You've got to get in there before someone else does."

"Ok, ok," Obito, sighed. "I will… Someday."

Asuma reached for Obito's goggles again causing the other boy to leap up.

"If you do it tonight I'll even pay you 500 ryo," Asuma sighed, standing up. "It's that pathetic watching you."

"Cheers," Obito muttered darkly. He then spotted the brightly coloured leaflet in Asuma's hand. Snatching the leaflet, Obito read, "The Twelve Ninja Guardians? Sounds like some cheesy film…"

Asuma grabbed the leaflet off him and shoved it into his pocket. "It's nothing," he said quickly. "So how's Kakashi settling in?"

Obito scowled, knowing Asuma was hiding something but decided not to press the issue further. He shrugged, "Yeah Kakashi's fine."

"I heard he was reunited with Gai yesterday," Asuma grinned.

Obito snickered, "Yeah, there were lots of manly tears." He then scowled recalling the amount of times Gai had called Kakashi his 'eternal rival'. Being Kakashi's rival was Obito's job, not Gai's. Anyway since when had Kakashi been friends with Gai?

"Anyway," Asuma said. "I've got to go and write some reports. See you later and remember 500 ryo if you do it tonight!"

"I don't want your pity money!" Obito called back with a streak of his Uchiha pride.

He groaned as Asuma left. Could he really do it? Asuma was right, if he didn't ask Rin someone else would. He slapped his cheeks and said, "Come on, I can do this!"

With one single purpose in his mind and no plan at all, Obito strode out of the jonin lounge.

* * *

><p>As Yamanaka Inoichi's wife and a florist, Riko saw a lot of things. However one of the most memorable customers she ever saw was a young teenage boy who tore into her store. It was the sheer desperation in his eyes that Riko always remembered.<p>

"Flowers, flowers," the boy muttered as he ran a hand through his haphazard hair as he gazed around at the vibrant bouquets. "Rin said she likes flowers. You're supposed to give girls flowers, right?"

"Is Rin your girlfriend?" Riko asked kindly.

"Girlfriend?" The boy said the word as if it were foreign. "No… Rin's… Rin's Rin."

It was always painful being a teenager and some people never stopped acting like one. Heck it had taken an amputation, marriage and now a pregnant wife for Inoichi to grow up.

Riko smiled as she rubbed her belly. "Ah I see…" She said as the boy prodded some red roses. "You're going to confess. In that case…"

She moved out from behind the counter and picked out some yellow tulips. "Roses are always too clichéd," she said as she handed the boy a small bunch of tulips. "Yellow tulips symbolise that you're hopelessly in love, which I think is rather apt don't you think?"

The boy turned bright red and mumbled something incoherent as he placed the flowers on the counter top. Riko moved back round the counter and began to clip and wrap the tulips. In all honesty, though Inoichi wanted a boy, Riko hoped that the baby would be a girl. It would be wonderful if her daughter had someone who cared for her as much as this boy cared for Rin.

After Riko had wrapped the flowers in cellophane and had carefully tied a red bow around the stems, the boy began to rummage around in his pockets for money.

"Don't worry," Riko suddenly smiled. "It's on the house."

"Are you sure?" The boy said, looking surprised.

"Very sure," Riko said.

A grin blossomed its way across the boy's face and he grabbed the tulips. "Thanks!" He said.

As the boy ran out of the shop Riko couldn't help but call out, "Good luck!"

* * *

><p>"Rin-san?" A nurse approached her as Rin was signing out. "There's some guy who's waiting for you by the entrance."<p>

"Really?" Rin frowned.

"He's been there for about four hours," another nurse by the reception giggled.

"Why didn't you tell him I was working?" Rin said, giving the hospital doors an anxious glance.

"I did," the first nurse said. "But he wanted to wait for you."

"So romantic," the second nurse sighed.

"Do you know who he is?" Rin asked, wondering whom it could possibly be.

"He's that guy," the first nurse said as the second nodded vigorously. "You know the one you're always hanging around with? Tall, good looking, could do with a haircut."

"Right…" Rin said, the description not helping her at all. "Well I'll see you tomorrow anyway."

"Have fun!" The second nurse winked. Shaking her head to herself, Rin headed out of the hospital.

As Rin stepped out of the doors, she glanced around for a moment only to see a few civilians walking down the steps. Then… She spotted him. He was sitting on the wall at the bottom of the stairs.

Rin's breath caught in her throat at the thought that he had waited for four hours just so he could see her. Slowly, she walked down the stairs and he stood up with a smile.

As she grew nearer Rin said, "Hey Aoba."

Rin remained on the step above, mainly because the extra height gave her extra confidence. In all honesty she had been avoiding Aoba since they had returned from Frost Country. Things had been strangely awkward between them and Rin hated the fact that she had no idea why. Guilt had been plaguing her all week about avoiding Aoba and she was so glad that he was here now.

"The nurses said that you've been waiting for hours," Rin said.

Aoba scuffed his shoe against the pavement. "I was glad that they didn't report me for loitering," Aoba laughed sheepishly. He stared at Rin and she found herself growing uncomfortable.

Rin wasn't stupid. Boys would only wait for you for that long for either three reasons. One they were creepy, two they had some kind of serious problem they needed to tell you or three they had a crush on you. The very thought of Aoba liking her in that way caused Rin to blush and become tongue tied so she decided that it must be option two.

"Is something wrong?" She asked anxiously.

"No," Aoba shook his head. "I just… Needed to talk to you. That's all… Can I walk you home?"

Immediately Rin saw Aoba wince at his stupid question. Kunoichi never needed walking home, especially in their own village. However, Rin smiled. It was the gesture that counted.

"Ok," she smiled, instantly causing Aoba to relax.

After the war had ended Rin had returned to find her old family home stifling. Maybe it was because after seeing so much death she had found that the childish innocence of her old bedroom sickening. Her parents, both civilians, hadn't dared to talk to Rin about the war. Either way, as soon as she had returned from Kakashi's failed retrieval mission, Rin had searched for her own apartment. She now shared a flat with Anko only a ten minutes walk from the hospital, right in the very heart of Konoha.

Rin had offered Anko a place in her new flat, as the younger girl had nowhere else to go. She hated seeing anyone struggle. Rin had been the first person to coax Anko into talking after Orochimaru had abandoned her. She never pressured nor gave her pity. Rin had just seen too much pain during the war that she couldn't stand seeing the desolation that surrounded Anko.

It had been incredibly difficult gaining the girl's trust, but with Kushina and Kurenai's help, Rin had persuaded her that she was not helping Anko because she was a charity case but because she was a friend.

_I wonder if Kakashi knows that I'm sharing a flat with Anko,_ Rin suddenly thought as she realised that she hadn't told him.

The awkward silence that Rin attempting to avoid last week, settled over Aoba and her as they walked. Aoba kept glancing at Rin and it was clear that something was bothering him.

"Have you seen Riko-san lately?" Aoba suddenly asked.

"I have," Rin smiled as she thought of Yamanaka Inoichi's wife. "She's doing really well."

"Yeah Inoichi said she's just been, well, more volatile than usual," Aoba gave Rin his lopsided grin. "I can't believe that Inoichi is actually going to be a father."

"If they have a daughter I can imagine him spoiling her rotten," Rin laughed as the awkwardness between them vanished. "It'll be so cute. Their kid will be a classmate with Mikoto and Kushina's children."

"Shikaku and Choza's wives are pregnant too," Aoba added as he was well acquainted with the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.

The conversation began to flow seamlessly between them. Every now and then when Rin glanced at Aoba she would always find him staring at her. She couldn't stop wishing that he would just take off those sunglasses off his so she could really tell what he was thinking.

Finally, after climbing three flights of stairs, they arrived outside Rin's flat. "So what was it you wanted to tell me?" She asked him. "Do you want to come in? I mean I'm meeting Kakashi and Obito in half an hour but I could always cancel if you need to talk."

"No, no," Aoba shook his head. He laughed bitterly and mumbled, "It was stupid. I'll just… I'm just going to go now."

Rin couldn't help it. Without even think she suddenly grabbed on Aoba's sleeve before he could turn around. "Aoba," She said, with a firm tone of voice that she had learnt from Kushina. "Take off your sunglasses."

"What?" Aoba said sounding utterly confused.

"Aoba," Rin's voice grew soft. "Just do it."

Slowly, Aoba reached up with his other hand pulled off his sunglasses and he slipped them into his flak jacket pocket. Rin suddenly felt her cheeks heat up and her breathing quickened. Aoba's eyes… Had they always been that blue?

Without his sunglasses on Aoba looked so vulnerable that Rin almost told him to put his sunglasses back on. His eyes seemed to burn into her and Rin could feel her grip around his sleeve tightening.

Without warning, Aoba leant in and kissed her. The sudden wetness surprised Rin so much that she stumbled, her back slamming into her front door.

Aoba stepped away with an agonised expression and said, "Rin, I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I'm really sorry."

He ran an agitated hand through his hair. Rin didn't say a word. In fact she was barely aware of what she was doing. She walked towards Aoba, feeling slightly dizzy, and standing on her tiptoes she kissed him.

This time there was nothing weird about it. The kiss warm, sweet and clumsy and it caused Rin to melt inside. As they drew apart both of them smiled. Rin tried to find the right words to express what she was feeling but she found that all she could do was stare at Aoba. Both just kept smiling as Aoba reached out and held her hands. There was nothing to say. Neither wanted to label themselves or ruin the moment with clumsy words. At that moment, everything was perfect.

Unbeknownst to the couple, a heartbroken figure left the apartment block leaving a trail of shredded tulip petals in their wake.

* * *

><p>Kakashi knew that there was something seriously wrong when he was the one trying to make conversation with his team. He glanced at Obito who had turned up fifteen minutes early, his hair a mess and his knuckles bleeding. Obito hadn't spoken a word and he hadn't lifted up his goggles, which were firmly pulled over his eyes.<p>

Things had become even stranger when Rin turned up ten minutes late and blissfully happy.

It was incredibly hard without Obito's buzzing energy but Kakashi decided to give it a shot, otherwise the strained silence would become unbearable.

"So…" he said. Kakashi then faltered. Why had he even bothered? He was really not good at making conversation.

"I see that Anko returned your scarf," Rin thankfully picked up on Kakashi's attempt.

"Yeah she did," Kakashi winced at the memory of his faux pas. "You wouldn't happen to know where she usually is, would you? I need to thank her."

"Oh well we share a flat so you can come round anytime you want," Rin smiled.

Kakashi blinked. "You share a flat?" He said. He couldn't imagine Anko, the girl who used to scoff at the very thought of using a hairbrush, sharing a flat with someone like Rin.

"For about a year and a half now," Rin nodded. "It's in the centre of town."

Kakashi couldn't get his head around the thought of Anko sharing a flat with Rin. Then again, he hadn't recognised the girl who was supposed to be Anko.

Rin glanced at Obito anxiously and she said, "Obito… Is everything ok?"

Kakashi knew that Obito was obviously not ok but hadn't said anything to his friend, not wanting to press the issue. However, Rin worried a lot more than he did.

Obito looked at Rin and gave her a strained smile. "Yeah," he said. "Everything's just fine."

Kakashi glanced up at the darkening sky with a sigh. He wished that Darui was here. Darui always had a talent for dismissing any awkwardness with a simple smile or just his lazy presence. Then again if Darui were here in Konoha, the situation would probably be a whole lot worse.

They finally made it to a small restaurant that Kakashi recalled used to be a teahouse. As they were shown to their seats, Kakashi glanced at the menu and said, "So… Does this place do good miso soup?"

Obito who was sitting next to Kakashi glanced at his friend and Kakashi was relieved to see a faint flicker of amusement in his eyes. It probably was funny sight seeing Kakashi actively trying to keep conversation flowing.

"Still obsessed with that stuff?" Obito said.

"Course," Kakashi nodded. "Can't believe I went five years without Kushina's food."

"Obito's pretty good at cooking now too," Rin said. "He does the best curries."

"You cook?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"Got a problem with that?" Obito said.

"No, no," Kakashi shook his head. "Just didn't have you down as a chef, loser."

He added on the insult to provoke a reaction from Obito, in the hope that he would be shaken from the well of depression he seemed to be sitting in. Kakashi was disheartened to see that it took several seconds for Obito to mutter, "Bastard."

"Woah Obito, what's up? You look like someone's just died," a voice suddenly said.

They looked up to see three boys walk over to them. Kakashi recognised one of them as Aoba had taken part in his retrieval however he had no idea who the other two were.

"Hey Genma," Obito nodded at the boy who was chewing a senbon.

Kakashi glanced at Rin and Aoba who were smiling at each other. Then he shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he could feel the amount of killing intent radiating off Obito. He sighed as it all clicked into place.

Aoba and Rin clearly had something going on between them. It was clear to Kakashi, who had only been in Konoha for just over a week, that Obito was still hopelessly in love with Rin. So the whole situation must be killing him right now.

Kakashi groaned and sunk slightly lower in his seat. If he didn't have to be escorted everywhere he would body flicker away from the restaurant right now. Either that or drag Obito out with him so his friend wouldn't find an excuse to punch Aoba.

Instead all Kakashi could do was sit and hope that Genma and his friends would go away, for the sake of Obito's sanity.

"Nice to see you back from the dead," Genma said to Kakashi.

"Thanks," Kakashi nodded.

"So is it really true that you ran off with some wild woman?" Genma asked with a grin.

"I thought you were kidnapped by some enemy ninjas," the boy in between Genma and Aoba frowned.

"Nah Raido, it's definitely the wild woman," Genma sniggered to his friend.

Thoroughly tired of the rumours, Kakashi sighed, "I had amnesia."

That was official story that he was supposed to tell people anyway as it was partially true.

"For two years?" Genma raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing him.

"Guys leave him alone. He hasn't been home in five years," Aoba, who actually knew where Kakashi had been, said.

"Sorry," Raido said, appearing suitably contrite.

"I guess you were part of Orochimaru's outpost," Genma conceded. "Amnesia is pretty likely. Is it true that he eats dead people?"

Kakashi gritted his teeth at the very mention of Orochimaru. Rin opened her mouth to placate the situation but she couldn't because at that moment, Obito snapped.

He slammed a fist into the table causing the wood to splinter. "Genma for once in your life would you just shut the fuck up?" Obito snarled as he stood up. The restaurant fell deathly quiet as the other customers stared at the group.

"What the fuck Obito?" Genma spat out his senbon. "What the hell is wrong with you? I was just messing around."

With a furious expression, Obito stormed out of the restaurant.

"Come on," Raido said quietly. "Let's just go and sit down."

Genma and Raido turned away, muttering to themselves. Aoba was wearing a guilty expression and Kakashi watched as he bent down and whispered something in Rin's ear.

Rin, who had been distressed for the entire exchange, stopped chewing her lip. She gave Aoba a grateful smile and mouthed something back.

Aoba then glanced at Kakashi who was giving him the coldest stare imaginable.

"I'll see you later," he said, leaving their table.

"Let's go," Kakashi stood up as his first night out in Konoha had been effectively ruined. "I think I've got some instant ramen at home. Coming?"

It was a stupid thing to say as Rin had to accompany him anyway but Rin nodded and followed Kakashi out of the restaurant.

As the cool night air hit them, Kakashi stared up at the sky that was bruised by the streetlamps. Kakashi had never found a girl who was remotely interesting enough to have a crush on, let alone be in love. The more he looked at Obito, Rin and Aoba, the keener he became to avoid feelings like that. As Darui would say, relationships were far too much effort.

"Do you think it's something serious?" Rin whispered as they walked. "I mean I saw Mikoto-san today and the pregnancy seems to be going fine… Maybe it's the clan again? You know how much pressure they put on him…"

Kakashi knew then that it would kill Rin if she knew the truth. He looked down at Rin and forced his eyes to crinkle into a smile. "Don't worry, Rin," he said in a falsely cheery voice. "I'm sure everything will be ok."

Rin gave Kakashi a soft smile and she said, "Thanks Kakashi… You've really grown up, you know…"

_Hasn't everyone,_ Kakashi thought dully. Things had just become a lot more complicated and by the end of it, that psychiatrist Kakashi was seeing might actually be useful.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I always find romance hard to write so if anything feels horribly clichéd in this chapter feel free to let me know. Thanks for reading so far! ^^  
><strong>


	27. Chapter 26

**A/N: Well... I'm not entirely sure what to say other than sorry for not updating. I really didn't expect my first term at uni to be that time consuming. Thank you so much to the people who have reviewed so far! I honestly didn't expect to get more than 100 reviews for this story, so thank you :D If I haven't replied to your review I will, I promise, it just take me a lot of time to get back to people.**

**Anyhow, thanks for reading so far and I hope you like the chapter!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 26<strong>

Obito felt terrible. As soon as he had cooled off the next day he had found Genma and apologised straight away. To his relief and misery both Rin and Aoba were called out for a three-week mission the next day. Aoba and Rin's absence would have made things more bearable if Obito had an off switch for his imagination.

Perhaps the most agonising thing was that the whole situation was so clichéd. Obito could do absolutely nothing. He was utterly powerless and that was what was killing him. What right did he have anyway? Rin had never held any romantic feelings towards him. It would be criminal to try and get in the way of her happiness. All Obito could do was try and kill his feelings for Rin.

Three weeks had swept passed and Obito felt himself slipping back into his old self with the help of Kakashi who had kept him constantly distracted with training sessions, even asking for Gai's help. Obito hadn't been entirely sure before of what to make of the 'new' Kakashi but now he was eternally grateful.

The new, laid back version of Kakashi was so much more understanding. He didn't even have to say anything and that's what made him such a good friend. Not that Obito would ever admit it.

Obito stood on the Naka Bridge watching the river pleasantly burble. April was now drawing to a close and the cherry blossoms had burst into a riot of delicate pink. Through his goggles, however, the flowers looked sickly as if they were decaying before his very eyes.

At the moment Kakashi was having some kind of briefing with Minato-sensei and the village elders. No doubt it had something to do with Kakashi's time in Kumo. Obito was supposed to pick up Kakashi from the Hokage tower in precisely one minute. Having a reputation for being late had its advantages and Obito was in no hurry. For a moment a smile crossed his lips as he thought of his friend.

"Obito?" A voice called.

Obito turned to see Mikoto, her face flushed and slightly out of breath. With one hand she was clutching a grocery bag and the other her stomach.

"Ah Aunt Mikoto! You shouldn't be carrying that!" Obito exclaimed. He rushed forwards and took the bag from her.

"Obito, I'm pregnant not disabled," She panted but looked extremely grateful.

"Wow that is a lot of tomatoes," Obito glanced inside the carrier bag to see tomatoes of every single shape and size imaginable. "Still craving them, huh?"

"Yes," Mikoto nodded. She then laughed, "You should have seen Kushina's face when I told her that I couldn't stop eating tomatoes."

"She doesn't like them?" Obito raised an eyebrow.

"No… She just has a bit of a personal vendetta against them," Mikoto giggled. In all honestly it didn't surprise Obito that Minato-sensei's wife had a grudge against a fruit.

"Fugaku did get me a crate of tomatoes," Mikoto told him as they walked towards the compound. "But I finished them yesterday and I really needed some fresh air."

"But you're like… Really pregnant," Obito finished off lamely. Mikoto's belly was beginning to look huge. He dimly recalled that a few weeks before Itachi had been born Mikoto's stomach had been so big that he had been scared it was about to burst.

"Twenty-four weeks," She smiled. "Fugaku didn't want me going out of the compound when I enter my third trimester so I wanted to savour my last few days of freedom."

For once, Obito was inclined to agree with his uncle. He had already made a mental note to be around a few weeks before Mikoto's due date in case his aunt needed anything.

"Have you thought of a name yet?" Obito asked.

"Well Fugaku and I wanted to name the baby after a role model, someone they can look up to," Mikoto said. "It's a bit sad really but we can't think of any famous Uchihas that are suitable. I mean it would be a bit cruel to name your child after Madara."

Obito laughed and said, "What about someone outside of the clan?"

"That's what I thought," Mikoto admitted. "So I thought of the Third's father. What do you think of the name Sasuke?"

"Sasuke…" Obito rolled the name around with a smile. "Uchiha Sasuke… I like it."

"See I knew you would!" Mikoto nodded with pride. "Fugaku disagrees but I like it and _I'm_ the one who's giving birth to this baby _and_ he was the one who suggested Itachi's name."

"So what are you going to do?" Obito asked, knowing what his uncle could be like.

"Oh he'll see my way," Mikoto gave a slightly evil laugh, one that she had probably absorbed from Kushina. "He _will_ agree with name Sasuke and he will _like_ it."

Obito felt terrified of Mikoto for a moment as contrary to popular belief, Mikoto certainly knew how to deal with her husband. He also decided not to point out what happens if Sasuke turned out to be a girl. It was never wise to argue with a heavily pregnant woman.

"So how're are you anyway?" Mikoto asked. "You've seemed a bit down lately."

"It's nothing," Obito shrugged, his smile fading.

"Obito," Mikoto said sternly. "Take off those goggles for a moment."

Obito sighed but he pulled them up and glanced down at his aunt.

"You know that I consider you to be my son," Mikoto smiled. "So tell me what's wrong."

Obito opened his mouth but found he couldn't say it. It was just too difficult to verbalise. So instead he mumbled, "… Rin…"

"Ah," Mikoto said softly. "I see."

She stopped walking for a moment as they stood in the middle of the Naka Bridge. Gazing down at the river Mikoto asked, "So how long has Rin had this new boyfriend?"

"I don't know," Obito shrugged and that was the worst part. Had Rin and Aoba been seeing each other before he found out? "I mean they've always been close!"

Mikoto had a thoughtful look upon her face and she absent-mindedly combed her fingers through her thick hair. "Obito how old are you?" She suddenly asked.

Obito gave her a bemused look since Mikoto should know the answer to that one. "Sixteen," he frowned.

Mikoto's face broke out into a smile. "Exactly!" She said. Seeing Obito's bemusement she explained, "Boyfriends and girlfriends always come and go. I mean when I was your age I was dating some guy who was a medic and I absolutely _hated_ Fugaku."

It seemed utterly bizarre that Mikoto could ever hate someone. Completely baffled Obito said slowly, "Uncle Fugaku… Didn't… You know _make_ you marry him, did he?"

Mikoto burst out laughing. "Of course not," she giggled. "But that's my point. When I was sixteen I had no idea that in two years time I would have fallen in love with _Uchiha Fugaku_ of all people. If you had told me that when I was twenty-two I would have had his child, I would have called you insane."

"Huh…" Obito still couldn't get over the fact that Mikoto was married to someone she used to hate. What did Uncle Fugaku _do_ to her to make Mikoto fall in love with him?

"What I'm trying to say is that things change. Yes, it feels like the world is ending right now but you have to remember that it's not," Mikoto continued. Obito opened his mouth to protest but Mikoto waved him into silence. She then said, "In two years time who knows where you'll be? You may be a jonin instructor or have been invited into ANBU. In two years time you'll have a two-year-old younger brother. Rin may have broken up with this boyfriend of hers and she could have a crush on you. You could have even stopped loving her. "

"Why would I stop-?"

Mikoto sighed, "You've got to put things into perspective, Obito. It's about what you make of yourself. If you do nothing, then nothing will happen. Do you understand?"

Finally, Obito did. It was so wonderfully simple that he wanted to laugh. Though it was far from perfect, everything slid into place. He hugged his aunt and said, "Thank you."

Mikoto smiled softly, "Just keep smiling, Obito. If you don't smile, then what hope is there for us all?"

Obito flashed her his trademark grin and he could see Mikoto relax. Had he really worried her that much? Sometimes it seemed strange that Mikoto still cared for him, despite the fact he was a failure in the eyes of the clan. It was then he realised that Mikoto's love for him was _unconditional. _It didn't depend on him awakening the sharingan. But… Was that enough? Uncle Fugaku, the one person Obito had been desperately striving to please, would never recognise him without the sharingan. Obito had vowed to only tell the clan about his sharingan if they recognised him in his own right even if he hadn't awakened his bloodline limit.

Obito smiled as he recalled Kakashi's silent nod when he had used the sharingan during a training session. Kakashi knew that Obito had achieved a part of his childhood dream and that single nod was both a congratulations and recognition.

The more he thought about, the more Obito realised that there would be only one, ultimate promotion where the clan may recognise him without the sharingan. With that promotion, he could unite that Uchiha clan with Konoha and achieve his ultimate dream.

"I need to sit down," Mikoto puffed as they started to walk again and Obito gently supported her arm. "My feet are hurting."

"We're almost there," Obito said. "We can have a drink at the bakery."

He glanced up at the sky and found himself smiling. Despite Rin and Aoba, despite the sad fact that the clan may never recognise him without the sharingan, Obito could feel warm hope building inside him. It didn't matter that things had appeared seemingly hopeless. With endless amounts of resolve Obito knew that he would have the motivation to push himself to new horizons and perhaps that would be enough to achieve the future he had always dreamed of.

* * *

><p>"So there is absolutely nothing you can tell us about Kumo?" Hotaru raised a sceptical eyebrow.<p>

"I've told you all that I know," Kakashi assured her. The meeting with Konoha's higher ups had turned out to more of an interrogation than anything else. Kakashi was seated at a table with the councillors Hotaru, Homura and the Third's wife Sarutobi Biwako, as well as the Third and Fourth Hokage. All they needed now was Danzo and the meeting would be a bundle of laughs.

Around these veterans Kakashi felt like an academy student. It didn't help that Hotaru and Homura seemed intent on pumping information about Kumo from him. Though it did make Kakashi feel slightly better that the councillors treated Minato as if he was a teenager. No wonder the Third and Biwako were overseeing the meeting.

"Protecting another village is a treasonable offence," Homura reminded Kakashi for approximately the fiftieth time.

"Konoha will always have my loyalty," Kakashi sighed.

It had been two-hours and all they had done was go round and round in circles as the councillors grilled him and Kakashi gave them vague answers. If things got out of hand the Third or Biwako would always tone things down.

"Do you regard the ninjas of Kumo as your friends?" The Third suddenly spoke up. He looked more curious than anything, as if he had just asked Kakashi about a recent trip he had returned from.

Kakashi thought about it for a moment and he answered, "Yes. I owe them my life and they treated me as one of their own, even when my memories returned."

"So we could just use this to our advantage," Minato smiled. "New diplomatic relations have been forged in a sense."

"Diplomatic relations," Hotaru snorted. "Kumo didn't think of diplomacy during the First War."

"However both Kumo and Konoha have new leaders," the Third interjected. "A new generation, a new relationship."

"The trade agreements with Kumo have been going well," Minato nodded. "Both A and I agree that with shared information the capture of Orochimaru would have been successful in Frost Country. As it is we have a meeting scheduled in September in the neutral grounds of Hot Water Country."

Hotaru sniffed at Minato's statement and Homura scowled. Though the councillors held Konoha's best interests at heart, old grudges against Kumo ran through their very core.

"Then we should call this meeting to a close," the Third smiled at Kakashi.

"There's nothing more that Kakashi could possibly tell us," Minato nodded. "And since you're cleared by Inoichi and the hospital, I would say that it is now safe for you to be unescorted."

Hotaru opened her mouth to argue but Minato silenced her with one impossibly bright smile. The Third may be a master in diplomacy, artful words and half-truths, however Minato simply could charm a person senseless with a single movement of his lips. That was why Kakashi knew his sensei was the perfect Hokage. It was impossible to hate him. Minato oozed a wonderful charisma and what made him even more special was that he did it without even realising it.

"Thank you, Sensei," Kakashi dipped his head in respect.

"You will still be off duty and attending your psychiatry meetings," Minato reminded him.

"I understand," Kakashi nodded. He shifted awkwardly in his seat, waiting to be dismissed.

Finally Biwako raised an eyebrow and said, "That means you're dismissed."

"Right," Kakashi cleared his throat. "Err thank you." He hurriedly stood up, gave a quick bow and left the room.

As soon as Kakashi left he heard Homura mutter, "That boy is exactly like his mother."

For a brief moment Kakashi wondered whether Homura was referring to his awkwardness or vague answers from earlier or both. The thought however was dashed away as Kakashi exited the Hokage Tower.

Fresh sunlight hit his face causing his eyes to water but Kakashi relished the sight of the village below. He was free. As much as Kakashi liked being around Obito, Rin and Kushina, it had been slightly irritating that he had had to be accompanied everywhere.

A small smile crept upon his lips. In one clean, easy leap he jumped down the stairs. The meeting had overrun by half an hour and Obito was supposed to meet him here. Kakashi couldn't help but walk and savour his newfound freedom. Obito would be able to find him anyway.

A slight frown creased Kakashi's brow and he shoved his hands into his pockets. It was painful to watch Obito wither as Rin blossomed with happiness. All Kakashi could do was try and distract his friend. He felt useless, having no idea what to do. Instead Kakashi just constantly demanded training sessions as he could usually tell from a sparring session how Obito was feeling.

At the beginning of the month Obito's movements had been violent and haphazard. Each strike was a release of anger and pent up frustration. Kakashi had easily slipped through Obito's defences as he took advantage of his friend's mood. He hoped that it would tell Obito to move on, that he couldn't let something like this affect him so much.

Had it worked? In all honesty, Kakashi had no idea. But over the weeks Obito's fighting style had suddenly tightened up and the old determination began to gleam through.

Kakashi turned, taking a shortcut through an alley to the main town when suddenly he heard someone yell, "Sh-she's insane! A monster!"

His curiosity piqued as he rounded a corner to see two tearful boys. One was hurriedly wiping his nose while the other forlornly held a punctured football. As soon as they spotted Kakashi one suddenly shrieked, "White Demon!"

Before they could run Kakashi lazily grabbed their collars and wrenched them backwards. "These rumours are really getting ridiculous," he sighed as the two boys wailed.

He glanced down at them and said, "Why are you crying?"

The boys stopped crying and glanced at each other. The biggest sniffed, "It was only a bit of fun, I swear!"

"We were going to give it back to her," the other nodded vigorously. "We promise!"

"Give what back?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow as he let them go.

With a shaky hand, the first boy pointed towards an alley to the left and without another word the boys scarpered.

Thoroughly intrigued now, Kakashi walked over to the alley and he suddenly halted in his tracks.

"There," a gentle voice said. "Good as new."

Kakashi's eyes widened. Kneeling down, in front of a grubby little orphan, was the girl who was supposed to be Anko. For three long weeks Kakashi had been keeping an eye out for the girl so he could apologise to her. One thing about Anko hadn't changed it seemed. She still had the uncanny talent for avoiding Kakashi.

Anko carefully dusted a ragdoll as the small girl wrung her hands around the hem of her dress.

"Th-thank you," the girl sniffed as she grabbed the doll and hugged it to her chest.

The expression upon Anko's face was impossibly soft. With her hair tied carefully in a bun and silky strands framing her face, Kakashi found that he couldn't stop staring. Gently, Anko tucked the girl's hair behind her ears.

"If you have any more trouble with those boys just come and find me," she told the girl. "Do you want me to walk you home?"

The girl thought about it for a moment then shook her head. Anko straightened and said, "Remember when you grow up, you can be a badass kunoichi like me."

Kakashi couldn't help but laugh a little at the comment. Immediately Anko heard the noise and stiffened. Just as the girl thanked her again and scampered away, Anko turned and started to walk straight towards him.

"It's been a while," Kakashi smiled. "Look I'm really sorry about what happened… It's just you've changed so much, but I guess we all have… Thank you for the scarf, really, it means a lot."

He faltered, as Anko didn't say a word. Instead she strode straight past Kakashi as if he was nothing more than an irritating breeze.

"Anko?" Kakashi turned. He had been expecting yelling, throwing of weapons or at least a punch. Not this. Not complete silence. Silence used to be an alien concept to Anko. What had happened to her?

Anko stopped, glanced over her shoulder and said in a cool voice, "So you remember my name?"

"I said I was sorry," Kakashi said, completely baffled. "You've just… Changed."

Anko gave him a quick searching look, though Kakashi had no idea what answer she was searching for. She then said, "So have you."

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably. He opened his mouth but his sentence was suddenly cut short as a steely glint caught his eye.

Reflexes were what saved Kakashi. With a swift jerk he tilted his head just as a razor sharp kunai whistled past his ear.

"Anko, that could have killed me," Kakashi said glancing at the weapon embedded in the ground.

"But it didn't…" Anko murmured as this time it sounded as if _she_ was the one who was confused.

A strange, faraway expression coated her face and Kakashi found himself asking, "Anko… Are you? Y'know, feeling ok?"

Instantly Anko shut down. She spun on her heel and walked away.

Kakashi found himself following her. It was impossible not to. So much mystery surrounded Anko. Before it had only been a faint mist of confusion, now it was a fog so thick that Kakashi had no idea had to penetrate it.

For a good ten minutes Kakashi followed Anko as she weaved in and out of allies and cut through streets. It was clear that she was intent on losing him. Anko dove through the crowded markets, leapt onto rooftops and even dove into a lingerie shop at one point.

What she hadn't accounted for however was that Kakashi was an expert in shadowing people. All he had to do was follow Anko's strangely spicy scent and when she went into the lingerie shop, Kakashi slipped into the shadows and masked his chakra.

It didn't occur to him that following Anko to this extent was a little strange or even creepy. As far as Kakashi was concerned, he just wanted to find out what happened to the filthy, rude girl who had been his friend.

When Anko stepped out of the shop an hour later to be greeted by a smiling Kakashi, her mask cracked.

"Are you really going to follow me all the way home?" She hissed as she stormed past him. Her question made Kakashi even more determined because in that one statement, he caught a glimpse of the old Anko and it was the old Anko who he missed.

Finally they made it to a small complex of apartments in the centre of Konoha. Kakashi followed Anko up three flights of stairs until they made it to the apartment that Anko shared with Rin.

Kakashi leant against the balcony opposite as he watched Anko rootle around in her pockets for her keys.

"You know… I haven't seen you in two years," Kakashi called to her in his most easy going voice, something he had copied from Darui. "Is it really such a crime to want to see my friend? I've seen Obito, Rin, even Gai… But not you."

Anko gave up on the search for her keys and she turned around. "You've seen me, now you can go," she said in a blunt voice and she folded her arms.

Everything about Anko was so defensive. Even her clothes: mesh undershirt beneath her maroon tunic, mesh stockings, shin guards, arm guards. It was if Anko prepared herself to go to battle everyday. Either that or she was protecting herself from something… But what? Anko had never been the type of girl to be scared.

Kakashi wondered what would happen if Anko lowered those defences. Did he even want to know what he would find? Had Orochimaru messed Anko up so badly that she was terrified of life?

Kakashi had no idea how to react when it came to dealing with things like that; after all he was the one seeing a psychiatrist. But if Orochimaru had hurt Anko, the thought merely strengthened Kakashi's vow to kill the Sannin.

"Aren't we supposed to do normal things that friends do?" Kakashi offered her a small smile. "Like train or-"

"We were never friends," Anko cut in.

Instantly, Kakashi's words died. His eyes widened and he stared at Anko in slow disbelief.

Without another word, Anko materialised her keys from the pocket of her leggings and she slipped inside her flat. The door shut with a resounding bang and the click of the lock sounded so final that Kakashi could feel it to his very core.

Kakashi knew that time eroded friendships and faded relationships. Of course he hadn't expected a tearful reunion from Anko. But… he hadn't expected that. Nor had he expected her words to hurt so much.

Kakashi turned away, his hands shoved in his pockets and a frown creasing his brow. If Darui was here… What would he say? No doubt something wise and profound, then immediately dismiss with a claim that he was dull.

Anko… It would be wrong to say that Kakashi had taken an immediate liking to her. She had needed to learn to difference between 'indoor' and 'outdoor' voices. She had had anger management issues, superiority issues, issues with her captain, issues with her teammates. Anko didn't have a clue about double negatives, she scorned the very thought of having a shower and was renowned prankster. Kakashi's eleven-year-old self had been disgusted by her hygiene habits and infuriated by her very personality.

Yet, after three long weeks of being annoyed by her, Kakashi had learnt that Anko was probably the most understanding person in the outpost. She never referred to him as 'the White Fang's son'. She laughed at him, something that only Obito had ever dared to do. Despite her uncouth behaviour, Anko was surprisingly sensitive. She knew when to drop a subject, she knew how to comfort and she always knew exactly what to say.

Anko had looked out for Kakashi in her own strange way while they were posted out in Waterfall Country. If that hadn't been friendship… Then had there been any point to it at all?

_"We were never friends."_ The words stung and they tasted bitter in his mouth. He paused for a moment as he walked. Then, Kakashi shook his head to himself and descended the steps, walking out of the apartment complex. If Kakashi had looked up at that point, he would have seen a small figure watching him from a flat window on the third floor.

But he didn't. Instead, Kakashi strode out of the apartment complex without a single backwards glance.

* * *

><p>Rin returned to Konoha thoroughly exhausted yet wonderfully content. The espionage mission had been a difficult one, however Rin and Aoba had been successful in retrieving the scroll Minato had wanted.<p>

A small, blissful smile crossed her face as she walked over the bridge of the hot springs. The pleasantly warm steam wafted across the path and she breathed in the water vapour.

Her newfound relationship with Aoba hadn't hindered the mission at all. Both knew when to focus on the task before them. It had been the journey back that they had allowed themselves to relax. The weeklong journey home had been full of innocent hand holding and gentle kisses. Rin blushed at the memory and she couldn't wait to tell Kurenai about it.

After debriefing with the Hokage, Rin and Aoba had parted though they were going to meet up tomorrow. So Rin was on her way home to take a shower and to unwind from her mission. As she entered the main street of Konoha, she caught a familiar orange light glinting in the evening sun. Up ahead were Obito and Kakashi, participating in their usual banter.

"Obito! Kakashi!" She called and Rin jogged up to them.

The two boys turned. Kakashi gave her a smile and Obito flashed her a wide grin.

Instantly, relief coursed through Rin. She had been constantly worrying about Obito ever since he had flipped out on Genma three weeks ago. Rin hated leaving a friend when there was obviously something wrong, so she was overjoyed to see Obito's smile again.

"How did the mission go?" Kakashi asked her.

"Oh it went really well," Rin smiled. "It was a success, which was a relief because I haven't done many A-ranked missions."

She glanced at Obito and asked, "How're you?"

"I'm good," Obito nodded and Kakashi gave him a meaningful elbow. Catching on he added, "Oh yeah, sorry that you had to leave when I was being a complete idiot…. It's just that…" He faltered and Rin raised an eyebrow.

"Shisui was ill," Kakashi said helpfully.

"Yep that's right!" Obito said, snapping his fingers together as if he had forgotten. "Shisui was ill. Really ill and I was, y'know, worried.

"Oh Obito, why didn't you say?" Rin sighed. "You know I would have seen him."

"But you couldn't," Obito said. "Because he had umm… What was it again, Kakashi?"

Kakashi rolled his eyes, clearly not impressed with Obito's memory and he said, "Shisui had noro. So since it's so contagious we didn't want you to see him because you'd insist and we didn't want you to catch it."

"That's right," Obito nodded vigorously.

"I guess," Rin said slowly and she gave Obito a sympathetic look. "How is he? Noro is a really horrible virus."

"A lot better," Obito said. "So much better that he can barely remember that he had it."

Rin raised an eyebrow and Kakashi sighed, "What the idiot means was that Shisui had a fever for most of it."

"I still wish you told me," Rin sighed. "It's always best to let the body get over it naturally to build up immunity but I could have made Shisui feel more comfortable."

"I didn't want to worry you," Obito mumbled and he avoided her gaze. Rin couldn't help but feel that her two teammates were hiding something from her. Obito acting out like that because Shisui had noro seemed far too strange to be believable.

It stung slightly that they were keeping from something but Rin decided not to press any further. If Kakashi and Obito were hiding something then they had a reason to. Either way, she was happy to see that Obito was back to his normal, upbeat self.

"Oh Kakashi," Rin suddenly said. "Did you find Anko in the end?"

Instantly Kakashi's shoulders slumped and his eyes darkened. "You could say that," he answered cryptically.

Ah. Rin chewed her lip. She knew how Anko could be but… She never thought that she would do that to Kakashi. Anko had her crazy moments and there was nothing more she loved that to put on an insane façade so that people would leave her alone. But Kakashi would never be bothered by something like that… Not unless-

"I'll see you around," Rin told them. "Want to meet up tonight?"

They agreed on where to have dinner and Rin watched Kakashi and Obito walk away. She turned, heading in the direction of her apartment.

As Rin entered the flat the musty scent of sawdust filled her senses. The rhythmic swish of sandpaper came from the kitchen causing Rin's heart to drop. After dumping her backpack and shoes in the hallway, she padded to the kitchen. A shin guard was slung carelessly over the fridge and an arm guard was on top of the congealed washing up that was piled up in the sink. The tiny room was heaving with various bits of wood and tools. Soft curls of wood shavings cascaded the tiled floor with a faint dusting of sawdust decorated on top.

Sitting at the table, with a kunai in hand was Anko. Her normally dark hair had turned a chestnut colour from the dust and her face was screwed with the utmost concentration, as if she was throwing every cell into her carving. With each turn and scrape of her kunai, Anko viciously chewed her lip until it had turned bloody and raw.

"One of those days huh?" Rin said softly.

Anko didn't bother to avert her eyes from tiny figure she was carving. A kunai was far too clunky for anything remotely artistic, yet Anko held it with so much grace. Her long fingers deftly twirled the blade and with the smallest ounce of creativity she transformed a weapon that was designed to kill into a tool for art.

"How was the mission?" Anko asked as concentration creased her brow.

"Good," Rin smiled. "Mission success."

Anko jerked her head up and narrowed her eyes. "It was good because Aoba was there wasn't it?" She said, sharp as the kunai she was holding.

A blush flared across Rin's cheeks as if _she_ was the one who was younger than Anko.

"So are you two 'official' now?" Anko wrinkled her nose. She said the word 'official' as if it were an impairment. When Rin had told Anko about Aoba kissing her, she had simply sniffed and said that she hoped that Rin knew what she was doing. It wasn't that Anko didn't like Aoba. It was just that Anko was extremely protective of the friends of she had and the sad truth was that Rin was probably Anko's only friend.

"I guess," Rin beamed. She couldn't help it. No matter how clichéd it was, whenever she thought of Aoba she would always find herself smiling.

Anko cast Rin a wary look and continued to carve.

"I heard that you talked to Kakashi," Rin said to her.

Anko continued to carve as she hadn't heard her but Rin noticed that her body was taut with tension. The muscles in Anko's jaw were clenched and her eyes blazed at the very mention of Kakashi's name.

With a soft sigh, Rin removed a plank of wood from a chair and sat next to Anko. "What happened?" She asked.

The movements of the kunai became more agitated and Anko chewed her lip more furiously. Rin didn't say a word. She knew how difficult it was to verbalise your emotions. Sometimes you feel so much that it chokes you into silence. The words roll into one painful shruiken that just tears up your throat, until all that comes out is an agonising scream of frustration.

Without warning Anko suddenly raised her kunai to slam it into the table but Rin was too fast. In one blinding movement her hand fastened around Anko's wrist.

"Breathe," Rin whispered as she felt Anko's arm tremble. "Breathe."

Anko's breathing filled the room and her eyes had turned so dull that Rin felt crying.

"What did we say about moments like these?" Rin said softly.

There was a faint pause until finally Anko murmured, "Either create or train."

"Exactly," Rin smiled gently as she prised the kunai from Anko's hand. "Never destroy… We've seen far too much of that…"

Anko slumped back into her seat, clutching her left shoulder. "You've got to stop punishing yourself," Rin told her. With slow movements as if Anko were a small, scared child Rin gently pulled the neck of Anko's tunic down slightly.

"Remember my promise?" Rin said as she probed the ugly, black swirling seal that marred Anko's shoulder. "I _will_ find a way to free you."

Anko pulled herself away and a faint smile ghosted its way across her lips. "Thanks Rin," she muttered.

Rin smiled and she picked up the figure that Anko had been carving. "So what are you making this time?" She asked.

"A present," Anko told her and she shook herself into normality. "Kushina wanted to give something for when Mikoto-san's new baby is born, so she asked me to make it."

"Is she paying you?" Rin raised an eyebrow.

"Nah," Anko shrugged. "If it's for Kushina then it'll always be for free."

Kushina was a kindred spirit to Anko. The two shared an understanding that Rin knew she would never be able to comprehend. It had been with Kushina's help that they had managed to even get Anko to communicate to people after Orochimaru had abandoned her.

Yet… As Anko had so eloquently put it Rin had been 'the only bloody genuine person in the hospital', how could she not talk to her?

"So what's the final product going to be?" Rin asked as she twirled what she had now realised was the beginnings of a wooden tomato.

"That's a secret," Anko winked. "Even Kushina doesn't know."

Anko gave the tomato a thoughtful look and she bit her lip. "Do you think it'll be ok?" She said.

Rin set the carving down and stared the girl who had become a younger sister to her over the years.

"It will be," Rin told her with warm confidence that she had absorbed from Obito. "I know it will be."

Finally, Anko gave her a real smile. A wide, crooked smile that instantly made you return it. She let out her trademark bark of raucous laughter and she said, "I hope so, Rin… I really hope so."

* * *

><p>A soft veil of rain drew in dawn in such a strange way that even Uchiha Fugaku found himself pulled away from his work. Dropping his pen, Fugaku stretched his arms and he stood, moving towards the window of his office.<p>

An eerie glow was attempting to seep its way from the heavens and the delicate droplets shrouded the yard of the Uchiha police state in a mist. So many colours swirled in that mist: mysterious greys, mesmorising blues, the occasional subtle streak of gold and even an elusive pink if you stared hard enough.

Fugaku would have liked to watch the rain for longer, however he didn't have the time. He never did.

If Fugaku had more time he would sit and appreciate his surroundings. He would spend more time with Itachi. Not just train him but _talk_ to him, ask him about school and take him out for the day. If Fugaku had more time he would take Mikoto out for dinner like he used to do. He would sit with her, feed her tomatoes and wait to see if the baby kicked.

But Fugaku could do none of these things. As the head of the clan duty weighed down on his shoulders so heavily that he could sometimes feel himself being grinded into the ground. The clan had precedence above everything else. Laws were indoctrinated into Fugaku's very core and he knew it was his duty for the Uchiha Clan to become what it used to be in the days of Uchiha Madara.

As it was, all Fugaku could do was train Itachi on the odd occasion and indulge himself in moments like these. And Mikoto? Well… Let's just that when Fugaku walked into his home in the early hours of the morning he would slip into their bed and lie next to Mikoto, gently rubbing her belly and combing out the tangles from her hair. Mikoto was the antithesis to Fugaku and no matter what the rumours said, he loved her so deeply that it boarded on an obsession.

Tearing himself from the window, Fugaku sat back down at his desk and gave the case before him a glare.

_Uchiha Masanori_

_ Status: MIA_

Fugaku stared at the photo of his missing second in command with narrowed eyes. It didn't make sense. None of it did.

Almost a month ago Masanori had been pursuing a thief who had been targeting shops in the wealthier quarter of Konoha. The case had been relatively simple as the thief was a mindless chunin who was desperate to repay his debts.

Luck, however, hadn't been on Masanori's side. The chunin had somehow caught wind that the police were on his case and he had left Konoha. Bad weather and flooding forced Masanori's team to split up, but when the weather had finally cleared in the morning neither the thief nor Masanori were to be found.

It had taken four weeks to track down the chunin who had retreated into the Land of Hot Water and when they had finally caught him, the thief had fed them some ridiculous story about Masanori vanishing on the spot.

Fugaku didn't believe a word. He had grown up with Masanori and the man had almost been on par in his skill. His friend would have never abandoned the clan.

It had taken hours of genjutsu until the revelation came out. The thief had been telling the truth. Masanori had literally vanished and not a single chakra trace was to be found.

Fugaku's fists tightened as he recalled the humiliation of finally having to the Hokage about his missing second in command. The Uchiha Clan's respect was declining as it was. No one cared about the police force anyway, laughing that even academy children could outwit the officers.

With steadily darkening eyes, Fugaku's eyes fell upon the photograph that was framed and stood at the corner of his desk. His hands relaxed and Fugaku carefully wiped away the dust from the frame.

Three teenagers stood outside the station in police uniform so new that the creases were still to be seen. One was a younger and more relaxed Fugaku. The second was Masanori with his ever present sardonic smile. And right in the middle was a boy with hair so messy that it was reminiscent of a bird's nest and a smile that was brighter than the sun.

Fugaku stared at the photograph for such a long time that the rain stopped and sunlight finally began to pour through the window. His eyes flicked to Masanori, the friend who he had vowed to find and, if needs be, avenge. Then his gaze fell upon the other boy.

"_What's my dream? My dream is for the Uchiha Clan to be the greatest clan! Something that everyone in Konoha can look up to."_

Fugaku tore himself away from the photo, gathered up his case files and locked them into a drawer. Just he was about to leave his office, Fugaku glanced back at the photograph and he murmured to himself, "Your dream will be fulfilled in time, Takeo… I promise."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: ****Due to the fact I can't reply anonymous reviews and also to the amount of similar questions I've received I'll be putting up a FAQs section for this story on my profile. It'll save everyone's time seeing as I have an atrocious reply response.**

****I know the characterisations of Anko and Fugaku are different but I wanted to go more in depth, I guess. Both are characters who I've always been kind of fascinated by but I've always found some of their characterisations on this site frustrating.****

**As always let me know if anything was terrible. Updates are going to be slow from now on but I'll aim to get another out before the new year :) Again, thanks for reading/reviewing so far!**


	28. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

Kakashi had never been scared of lightning as a child. In fact when there had been a thunderstorm he had always revelled in it. The cacophony produced by rain barraging into the ground caused Kakashi's very being to be pumped with adrenaline. As soon as he heard the first soft, ominous drum of thunder he used to tear out of the Hatake compound and into the fields beyond. His hands would skim across the crops, wheat whipping up behind him in soft undulating ocean waves.

At academy during their history lessons they had been taught about the legend of the demon Raijin who had stormed across the plains banging a drum as he caused thunder, storms and earth shaking destruction. Even as a child he had been horribly cynical and Kakashi had always laughed at the legend. How could the hands of a demon create something so majestic? Demons were evil after all…

Now, however, as he stood in the night's syrup-like air Kakashi couldn't help but smile at the strange irony. The clouds on the horizon snarled and spat at each other as they raced towards the Hatake compound.

Lightning. Apparently he had been born during a thunderstorm. Kushina had told him that the banks of the Naka River had flooded that night and Konoha had been immersed in darkness due to power loss. It had been a chaotic night, full of panic as civillians had been evacuated and a total of ten lives were lost that night. Yet... During such a terrible storm pure joy had radiated from Hatake compound as the heir was born.

The storm drew closer and soon the rain hit him. Wonderful, biting rain that immediately soaked Kakashi to the skin. That was the one thing he missed about Kumo: the constant storms. Darui had taken him to the breath taking Thunder Plains and Kakashi had felt as if he had stumbled upon Raijin's home itself.

White Demon: a young man who had been possessed by a demon spirit, who carried a blade of lightning as he delivered both terror and justice. Kakashi laughed slightly at the aptness of his title.

The first silent flash of lightning zigzagged its way to the Earth. Harnessing the natural electricity into an unbelievably powerful technique would be simple for Kakashi. However… He frowned up into the rain. How could he possibly recreate a storm like this? If he had fire element then it would be simple…

Drawing his kodachi in one shining arc Kakashi held it aloft. Chakra crackled along the blade and he could feel the metal singing in tandem with the storm. An eerie glow lit up the blade and although he was drenched, Kakashi felt warmth seep into his limbs.

Suddenly Kakashi's instincts flared and he whirled around. An ANBU who had appeared behind him held up his hands in defence.

"Hatake-san," the ANBU said.

"You shouldn't sneak up on me like that," Kakashi warned him as the kodachi dulled and he sheathed the blade. "I could have killed you."

"The Hokage has sent for you," the ANBU called over the rain.

Kakashi's eyes narrowed, nodded in thanks and in a flurry of seals he body flickered away.

* * *

><p>Minato studied the faded scroll before him with a frown. He chewed the end of ink brush as he read the almost incomprehensible, ancient Whirlpool script.<p>

"… Beware the pact with the Death God comes at the ultimate price…" Minato murmured, running a finger over the aged parchment. "An exchange is required… In order to use the Death God's power and seal away the object… The user must sacrifice their life."

Minato rumpled his hair and continued to read, "… Both the user and the object shall be sealed within the Death's God stomach for all of eternity."

He slumped back in his chair, twirling the ink brush absent-mindedly. A pact with the Death God. Minato had thought the seal was a myth until Hiruzen had produced the scroll. Apparently the leader of Uzushigakure had anticipated the destruction of his village so he had entrusted the sacred scrolls of Whirlpool to Konoha. No wonder Kushina knew all of the secret Whirlpool arts.

A sudden crash of thunder illuminated the faded ink. A rueful smile spread its way across Minato's face at the sheer cliché of reading a mysterious scroll in the dead of night while there was a thunderstorm.

He pushed back his chair and moved over to the wide windows of the Hokage office. Due to the light, all he could see was his face reflected in the glass. The window itself appeared to be crying torrents of sorrow as the rain poured. Tears of mourning traced their way down the pane in forlorn patterns. Other drops were lost in single solitary splatters upon the glass.

It truly was a miserable night. Fitting perhaps for what had been discovered in the forest a few hours ago.

"You called, Minato-sensei?" A soft voice called. In a flash Minato formed a seal and the scroll vanished from the desk in a puff of smoke.

His eyes flicked to the corner of his office to see Kakashi slip from the shadows. There was something that unnerved him slightly in the way his student could seamlessly meld himself with darkness. Minato was certain that if Kumo hadn't captured Kakashi, he would be an ANBU Captain by now.

Kakashi certainly had the profile to fit ANBU: quiet personality, liked to keep to himself. He certainly was the type of person who could maintain high-level secrets and he had enough emotional distance to commit assassinations. Not to mention that his skills would be invaluable to the ranks of ANBU.

Minato sighed. It would be almost impossible for Kakashi to be part of ANBU now, as he would have to wait at least a decade before the elders fully trusted him again. However Kakashi's career as a ninja was not completely ruined. If anything his kidnapping had carved open new pathways that would have been mere fantasy before.

"Caught in the rain I see," Minato said ruefully as Kakashi stood, his hair plastered to his face.

"It would seem so," Kakashi replied dryly, as water dripped from his clothes creating a small puddle in the office.

"Well I have some great news for you anyway," Minato smiled brightly and as if the weather had heard him the rain stopped drumming on the windows. He moved back to his desk and sat down.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow as he waited for his sensei to continue. "Congratulations," Minato picked up a piece of paper from his desk and handed to Kakashi. "You've passed your psych evaluation."

"Fair mental stability," Kakashi read. "… Could do with further counselling."

"That's only guidance of course," Minato laughed away the psychiatrist's report.

Kakashi looked up from his evaluation and said, "Does this mean…?"

"You are now reinstated to your position as chunin," Minato smiled and he quickly added, "Of course you were actually up for promotion so you'll be a jonin in no time."

Kakashi blinked in surprise and he said, "But Orochimaru told me that I wasn't up for promotion because I disobeyed orders."

"I decided to review the case," Minato told him. After all no one trusted any of Orochimaru's reports anymore. "And after interviewing Abe Kenji, I believe that you did correct decision in saving his life. I would have done the same and so would have your father."

Minato watched with pride as Kakashi's shoulders relaxed and a smile broke out across his face. "Thank you Sensei," Kakashi nodded.

"So I would like to hand you your first mission," Minato told him. "It's a fairly simple B-ranker and you'll be joining a tracking team. Your captain already knows that you're part of the team and you're meeting tomorrow at 9am outside the North Gate."

Inwardly Minato couldn't help but suppress a grin at thought of when Kakashi met his captain. The person had been the obvious choice however Kakashi was not going to like it. He shook his head. Kushina really was rubbing off on him.

"Good luck! And Kushina wants you round for dinner tonight, she's making aubergine soup," Minato said.

"I'll be there," Kakashi smiled and he body flickered away. The smile slid away from Minato's lips and he slumped back into his chair. With a flick of a seal, the Whirlpool scroll reappeared again on his desk.

"A pact with the Death God," Minato murmured to himself. If everything went according to plan then he shouldn't need it… Yet Minato was not one for taking chances. Leaning forwards he began to study the scroll once more.

* * *

><p>The following morning swept in a sweet, tangy freshness that was almost tangible upon Kakashi's tongue. Last night's rain clung to trees in delicate droplets, flashing silver in the May sunlight as Kakashi strolled towards the North Gate. Two ninja were already there: Aburame Muta and a Hyuga who was vaguely familiar to Kakashi.<p>

"Hatake Kakashi?" The Hyuga's eyes widened.

"You've been reinstated to your original position I take it?" Muta nodded.

"Yep," Kakashi smiled. "It's good to finally back in action."

The Hyuga looked as if he was about to question Kakashi some more but was silenced by a glance from Muta. Instantly gratitude flooded through Kakashi and he gave the Aburame an appreciative nod. This was his first Konoha mission in five years. He needed things to run smoothly.

"Hey!" A loud voice cut through the morning air. "Everyone here?"

Orange goggles bobbed up and down as none other than Uchiha Obito approached. "Muta… Ko… Kakashi… Yep we're all here," he grinned.

Kakashi frowned and began, "Wait a moment Obito-"

"That's Captain to you, Hatake," Obito interjected with a gleeful smile. "Captain Uchiha."

Muta and Ko glanced at Kakashi expecting a snide comment or an argument between the two to ensue… Yet none came. Instead a warm smile crinkled Kakashi's eyes.

"Well what's the mission then… Captain?" Kakashi asked. Instantly Obito's body relaxed and he laughed, clapping his friend on the shoulder.

It was true, Kakashi couldn't help but feel a twang of envy that his best friend was in the position that he should have be in. Yet… he was so proud of Obito that it didn't matter. Kakashi knew how hard Obito must have worked to earn the title of jonin; his friend deserved this moment.

They headed out of the gate and into the shaded forest. For several minutes they followed Obito until finally he stopped.

"What's the mission, Captain?" Ko asked.

An uncharacteristically dark expression crossed Obito's face. "A ninja was found dead last night in this forest," he told them. "They were discovered by a civilian who reported it to the Hokage. Unfortunately any evidence was washed away due to the rain."

"Hence the specialised tracking team," Kakashi finished.

"Exactly," Obito nodded. "We're also working alongside with the Uchiha police on this one so if you see any of them lurking around, leave them be."

They leapt up high into the trees, skimming across branches until Obito finally jumped down into a clearing. Kakashi glanced upwards, squinting against the sun. With a clearing like this the rain would have easily washed away any tracks. The ground was slick mud beneath their feet and already the crime scene was contaminated by whoever had examined the area earlier.

Ko's eyes bulged as he activated his byakugan and insects seeped from Muta's sleeves as they fanned out into the forest. Knowing it was pointless to summon Pakkun as any scents would have been washed away, Kakashi instead began to scour the mud with his eyes.

"The body was here?" Kakashi asked Obito, pointing at a large imprint on the ground. "Male, 5"11, most likely either a ninjutsu or genjutsu user judging from their build."

"I will never be able to understand how you can tell all of that from an imprint," Obito sighed incredulously. "But the identity of the victim doesn't matter. We know who it is and how they died. What matters is finding out who did it."

"Got it," Kakashi nodded. "Need to know basis."

Obito shot his friend a grateful look and Kakashi could see the strain in his eyes. Obito must have known the person who had died… Either that or it had managed to shock him, which was impressive considering that he had lived through a war.

"I've found something!" Ko called. Obito and Kakashi whirled around, striding over to the tree Ko was kneeling beside.

"Blood traces," Ko told Obito as he ran a hand down the trunk. "Tiny splatters that only the byakugan could pick up."

"Anymore?" Obito asked, a frown creasing his brow.

The veins around Ko's eyes bulged as he stretched his bloodline to the limit. "Got it!" He said. "The blood increases further into the forest."

Kakashi was already ahead, his heightened sense of smell catching the trace of blood. "Ko keep scanning the area with Muta, Kakashi and I will investigate," Obito told him.

Kakashi was beginning to catch the blood smears on the bark as Obito and he moved further into the depths of the forest. His senses moved into the freakish hypersensitivity that made his family so famous for tracking. Every slight movement of the wind rustling the trees caused him to reach for his kodachi. The sweet scent of the rain was coated with the menacing, underlying tones of blood. Kakashi absorbed every detail of the bark around, every scratch and every indent he either mentally recorded or dismissed.

He was barely aware of what Obito was saying. Like a wolf hunting down his prey, Kakashi was solely focused on the hunt.

The blood became heavier until it was dried splashes that stained the trees. Finally Kakashi stopped by a large rock. Stooping he ran his fingers along the mottled stone. What must have used to be green moss pillowing the top was instead an ugly brown growth. So much blood had been seemingly poured upon the rock that even last nights rain had not been able to wash it clean. The land itself was tainted by what must have been a horrific murder. Yet… There was something off about the whole thing.

"So this must have been the place where the victim was killed," Obito said softly.

"No," Kakashi shook his head. "There's something strange about this… The trail… It's too regular. If the victim had lost that much blood they wouldn't have left such a consistent pattern on the trees."

"So you're saying-"

"The body was planted," Kakashi finished.

Obito clapped him on the shoulder and gave him a grim smile. "Knew you'd be the one who could work this thing out," he said. It was a testament to their friendship and Obito's trust in Kakashi's skill. He knew that any other captain may have held some scepticism but not Obito.

"I'll report this all back to Sen-" Obito started but suddenly both Kakashi and he froze.

"You sense that?" Kakashi breathed as he reached for his kodachi. Dread coated Obito's face and his entire body was taut with tension. "Obito?"

"We need to leave," Obito whispered and he pulled Kakashi's arm away from the weapon. "_Now_."

But it was too late. Just as they were about to sprint away a cold voice floated towards them, "Going to report back to the Hokage?"

"It's my duty Uncle," Obito called back and Kakashi could see his friend steeling himself. Then he realised what Obito had just said. Uncle?

Then Kakashi's eyes dilated as none other than Uchiha Fugaku stepped out from the trees.

* * *

><p>Last night had washed past Fugaku in one horrific nightmare. He felt as if he were watching another person's life, he had even wished that this was another person's life.<p>

At one in the morning one of his officers had turned up at his office, reporting a commotion from the forest. Apparently a civilian had discovered a body and had stupidly gone running to the Hokage instead of the police. That was another added insult. Some civilians preferred to approach to the Hokage about certain crimes even though the cases were always passed onto the police. However this crime wasn't.

Immediately when the case didn't land on his desk in the next few hours, Fugaku's suspicions were aroused. If the Hokage didn't want to police to know about a murder then it most certainly had something to do with the clan. When things concerned the clan, it was Fugaku's duty to investigate. He was the leader and the protector. Fugaku would willingly put his life on the line for any member.

So, feigning ignorance, Fugaku headed to the hospital morgue to hand in a few reports that were due.

"Uchiha-san," the young, spotty man at the sign in desk gulped.

"Goro," Fugaku nodded. That was thing about Fugaku. He maintained an utterly cold exterior but he never forgot a face.

"Shall I hand that in for you?" Goro offered. Normally the boy was nervous however this time he was utterly shaking. "Y-you probably want to be home and all considering how late it is."

"These files are classified," Fugaku cut in and Goro visibly deflated. "However it was kind of you to offer."

Fugaku strode down the dimly lit hall, walking down the steps to the hospital morgue. He despised this place. The tang of the disinfectant the squeak of the laminate flooring; it never ceased to remind him of how much death happened in this building.

As he reached the doors to the morgue Fugaku was met by two ANBU.

"Apologies Uchiha-san," the hawk masked ANBU to his left said. "But the morgue is closed.

Fugaku's jaw tightened and gave the ANBU a look so cold that the man stumbled back. The ANBU to his right body flickered away, presumably to report this to the Hokage.

Ignoring the remaining ANBU, Fugaku strode through the door causing the pathologist leapt away from the body bag that was laid upon the table. "Uchiha-san!" He said weakly.

"Reports," Fugaku grunted slamming the files into the pathologist's chest so hard that the small man fell to the floor. "New body?"

"Y-yes…" The pathologist choked as he picked himself. He gave Fugaku a terrified look and retreated, squashing himself into a corner so that he was nothing more than a cowering ball.

Fugaku chose to ignore the pathologist and with slow resolution he opened the bag. The zip sounded so unnaturally loud in the morgue; the teeth snarling as it was slowly dragged down.

Suddenly a roaring filled Fugaku's ears as the corpse was revealed. He found himself frozen, unable to move, unable to even breath.

"M-my condolences Uchiha-san," the pathologist whispered. "He-"

"Get out," Fugaku whispered.

"Uchiha-san?"

"_Get out_," Fugaku snarled and he whirled around. Crimson sharingan glowed in the darkness and the pathologist bolted out of the room.

Fugaku returned to the body memorising every single wound with his sharingan. He forced the horrific image to be imprinted on his mind. If there were one thing Fugaku would never do, he would never forget this.

He would never forget seeing his best friend, Uchiha Masanori, lying dead upon a cold table in the hospital morgue. For years afterwards Masanori would visit Fugaku in his dreams, screaming for vengeance. Screaming for Fugaku to avenge his murder and demanding why hadn't he fulfilled Takeo's dream. He would always be in the same state he had died in those dreams. Bruises decorating his arms, dried blood staining his mouth and his throat cut in true assassination style. Yet… Fugaku focused on the most horrific thing of all. Masanori's eyes had been ripped out.

Fugaku blinked over and over again, forcing himself to remain calm until icy numbness took over. Pragmatism replaced feeling and he zipped up Masanori's body. There was no use crying over a corpse. What mattered was finding the bastard who had killed his friend.

Just when Fugaku was about to leave the morgue another person stepped through the doors. The Fourth Hokage.

"My deepest apologies," Minato said to Fugaku softly. He glanced at the body bag on the table. "You shouldn't have found out this way."

"You should have given me the case straight away," Fugaku cut in. "It's under our jurisdiction as both a clan and as the police."

"I planned to inform you in the morning so we could work alongside each other," Minato assured him. "If Masanori's sharingan has been stolen then this could be an international crime. And anyway… It wouldn't have been proper if I had informed you of your friend's death by throwing the case file at you."

Fugaku stared at the Fourth for a long time. It hadn't occurred to him that the Hokage was trying to be kind. In the darkness of the morgue Fugaku couldn't make out the Fourth's expression however he could _feel_ it. It was that sensation that suddenly gave him the insight into why some many people trusted Namikaze Minato. In that moment, despite that huge history of mistrust that the Uchiha clan had carried towards Konoha, tendrils of understanding passed between the Hokage and the head of the Uchiha clan.

"Tomorrow a tracking team will be sent out to examine the area," Minato told him. "I'll share the reports with you and feel free to examine the area yourself."

Fugaku jerked his head in response then left the morgue without another word. It was impossible to explain how he was feeling because Fugaku had no idea. All he felt was as if he were walking through a dream. The world around him took on a strange, surreal quality. Shadows leered, the rain outside became pounding drums and the fluorescent lights of the hospital transformed the place into a nightmare world.

He couldn't hear whatever Goro said to him as he walked past the desk. All Fugaku could hear was the storm, so loud, so destructive. The sheer desolate boom of thunder was suddenly a strange source of comfort. It was confirmation, confirmation that Fugaku was alive and that he could still do something.

Then as he strode down the hospital steps and the rain hit him, the moment of indulgence passed. Fugaku refused to grieve. He had to keep going for Masanori and for the sake of the clan.

An emergency meeting was called and till dawn Fugaku was trapped in an underground room with the elders. Over and over again he had to describe every detail of Masanori's corpse until it no longer seemed real. Finally after hours of indecision the most battle scarred elder voiced, "You said his throat was cut? In assassination style?"

Fugaku nodded. "Each country's ANBU have a definitive style of assassination," he said. "The style was that of Konoha's. Both the Hokage and I know this."

"Konoha," someone spat. "To think they would move against us like this."

"Let's not be hasty," Fugaku quickly interjected and he recalled the understanding the he and Minato had shared. "It could have been a rogue ANBU."

"The evidence is clear Fugaku," the elder snapped. "The council have always wanted to get their hands on the clan secrets."

"Danzo," a gruff voice cut in. The room fell silent and all eyes swivelled onto Uchiha Kagami. Kagami was one of the oldest veterans in the Uchiha clan, having fought both in the Second and Third wars. He had even been on the same team as Sarutobi Hiruzen during the fateful mission where the Second Hokage had died. If there was one person's opinion that carried weight throughout the clan, it was Kagami's.

"Danzo has his own ANBU," Kagami reminded him. "And it's well known fact that Danzo has always despised our clan. He's always considered us a threat to the village. This could merely be a way of attempting to provoke us into action against the village, which would in turn give the council an excuse to wipe us out."

"What do you suggest we do then, Kagami?" The other elder asked. "Just lie down and let Hashirama's ancestors walk all over us?"

Kagami shook his head and he glanced at Fugaku. "Masanori was a great man and certainly he must be avenged," he said. "However I suggest for now we wait. The new Hokage appears to be a good man who respects our clan. Work with him and find the bastard who killed Masanori."

"Kagami's right," Fugaku nodded. "Now is not the time for rash decisions."

The sound of birds singing in hopeful harmony finally dragged Fugaku away from last night's events. He slipped through the forest's trees, darting in and out of the sunlight that was filtered through the leaves. After the meeting he had decided to head to the forest to examine the area where Masanori had been discovered himself.

Suddenly Fugaku halted as he sensed two chakra presences up ahead. Those chakra signatures… They were so familiar…

His keen eyesight could make out two figures standing by a large rock. As he emerged through the undergrowth Fugaku called, "Going to report to the Hokage?"

Immediately, Obito's face turned a shade paler. "It's my duty Uncle," he said.

The double insult stung and a bitter taste filled Fugaku's mouth. Obito held more loyalty to the Hokage than his own clan. He had distanced himself from the very people who had raised him. It pained Fugaku that he hadn't been able to be there for Obito all the time but he had done his best. He had tried to give the boy extra training so he could awaken his sharingan but Obito had thrown it back in his face. The village had tainted him.

Obito cleared his voice and said, "The details so far are that we've worked out that the victim's body was placed here."

He glanced at Kakashi who continued, "The blood trail on the trees is far too regular. It must have been planted here so presumably the victim was killed elsewhere."

Fugaku nodded. The Hatake boy was a smart one and even the Uchiha clan had recognised his father as a formidable ninja. Not to mention that ever since the boy's return he had faced a slight prejudiced mistrust from the other ninjas. Not surprising if you were missing for two years. It was this that had led to a string of understanding between Kakashi and Fugaku.

"Kakashi if you would excuse us for a moment, I would like a word with my nephew," Fugaku said softly. Kakashi hesitated then vanished between the trees.

"If the Hokage hadn't ordered you to share details with me, would you?" Fugaku asked after he had felt Kakashi's chakra presence fade away.

Obito opened his mouth then closed it. Finally he nodded and muttered, "It's my duty as a member of the clan."

It was that slight moment of hesitation that did it. Both Obito and Fugaku knew that what he had just said was a complete lie. Instantly, Fugaku's eyes froze over.

His voice dropped to low, dangerous tone and he said, "You truly are a disappoint to your clan."

Obito's shoulders sagged and the boy stared hollowly at the ground. Cold disappointment filled Fugaku and he strode away without another word.

So many times Fugaku had wanted Obito to fight back. He wanted his nephew to gain some backbone and to stand up for himself. Time and time again when Obito went against the clan, he did so in an underhand way. Like learning summoning technique from Minato instead of telling Fugaku first. Rejecting clan training by simply not turning up. It killed Fugaku to see that the only thing left of his best friend, Takeo, was nothing more than a coward.

How did the boy end up like this? How could Takeo's own _son_ be a failure? He didn't even have the sharingan.

Fugaku stopped and stared up at the forest canopy. Perhaps… Perhaps he had been too harsh on the boy. Then again Fugaku had always hoped that it would provoke a reaction. Deep down Fugaku had always loved Obito, as much as he loved Shisui and Itachi. Yet.. The boy was a complete failure and perhaps that meant Fugaku was a failure as a father.

He clenched his fist and continued to walk. Fugaku would be damned if Itachi, Shisui and his unborn child turned out the same way. He was determined not to fail them. Failure was unforgivable after all in the Uchiha clan and Fugaku would never let himself forget his failure in raising Obito.

It was true that there had been times when Fugaku had found it hard to look at Obito, even avoid him. Every time the boy had flashed his smile around the compound all Fugaku could see was Takeo. His haphazard personality was the very same as his father's. No wonder Fugaku was so disappointed with him. Obito was an insult to his father's name and everything the three friends, Takeo, Masanori and Fugaku had worked for.

If the boy shunned his own family, then he didn't deserve to have his father's smile.

"_What's my dream? My dream is for the Uchiha Clan to be the greatest clan! Something that everyone in Konoha can look up to."_

If Takeo's own son couldn't fulfil his father's dream then it was up to Fugaku to do it. Starting with finding the person who had killed Masanori.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I really won't waste time your time with excuses as to why this is late but I am really sorry... Other than that quick thanks goes to **Caellach Tiger Eye **who let me know that Rin's surname has been revealed in the manga. I've gone through all the chapters and have corrected it.****  
><strong>

**Special thanks also goes to **Prescripto13 **who has reviewed every single chapter of this story and was also my first ever fanfiction reviewer... Seriously there should awards for readers like you :)**

**Oh and lastly, if you want me to explain why I've characterised Fugaku in this way PM me and I will happily explain... I'd rather not write an essay for an A/N...**

**Anyway thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	29. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

Uchiha Sasuke was born at exactly 4pm on 23rd July. It was unbearably hot day; so warm that even in the hospital Itachi could feel his shirt sticking to his back. He glanced anxiously at the door opposite and pushed back his damp fringe.

"They'll be ok," Shisui smiled at him. "I mean I remember what it was like when you were born."

"You were two at the time," Itachi rolled his eyes. "Like you can remember when I was born. I'm nine years old. I'm not stupid."

"Ah Itachi you have so much to learn," Eleven year old Shisui waved a hand imperiously. "I may not be able to remember but Obito does. Apparently you were such an ugly baby that the nurses took photos."

Itachi couldn't help but laugh a little as Shisui instantly lightened the mood. It had been a complete shock when Mikoto had gone into labour in the early hours of the morning. Shisui and Itachi had woken up early to play a game of tag before Academy. Of course this meant all that happened was Shisui shimmering in dizzying circles around Itachi. His cousin was getting far too good at the body flicker technique.

As soon as they had heard Mikoto's cry the two boys had remained utterly calm as if they were going through a training drill. Itachi had stayed with his mother while Shisui had body flickered away to find the midwife, Nohara Rin.

"Am I late?" A loud voice clattered down the corridor. "Did I miss it?"

Obito tore down the ward, his flak jacket unzipped and his goggle askew. Perspiration was gathered on his brow and as always, his hair was lost cause despite the fact he had finally had that long overdue haircut a few days ago. Unfortunately the stubble was still there, much to Itachi and Shisui amusement. As if they would ever be as hairy as Obito.

Just as Obito skidded past Shisui and Itachi, the door opened and he collided straight into Rin. The two comically blinked at each other while the two younger boys sniggered.

"You're right on time," Rin beamed as Obito backed away, apologising profusely. "Everything's ok. Itachi, Obito, Shisui… You have a baby brother."

The three stared at each other for a moment, unsure of what exactly Rin had said. Then, as it finally sunk in they started to laugh in pure amazement.

"You'll have to be quiet through," Rin said softly. "Mikoto-san's very tired and we only just managed to get Sasuke asleep."

The three nodded and followed Rin inside the room. Mikoto was sitting up in bed, tired and sweat stained yet a blissful smile caressed her lips. Immediately Itachi's eyes were drawn to the small bundle in her arms.

"My boys," Mikoto smiled when they entered. "You're all here… Come meet your new brother, Sasuke."

As the eldest, Obito was the first to approach. He gingerly took the bundle and soft smile spread its way across his face. "Hey Sasuke," he whispered. "I'm Obito…"

Both Shisui and Obito made promises to Sasuke. Obito would be there to make Sasuke laugh when he was down, teach him the art of pranking and help him forget the expectations of the clan. Shisui would chase away Sasuke nightmares with his smart mouth, teach him cool techniques and later, after puberty had hit, how to get the girls.

But when it got to Itachi, he found that the words had dried up. He stared down at the baby in his arms. Sasuke's face was screwed up as if was deep in thought and to Itachi, he just looked like any other baby. Yet… He felt so fragile in his arms. Itachi was terrified of breaking him. After seeing so much terror, so much pain during the war Itachi wondered how something so perfect could be created in the midst of all the horror that was going on in the world. How someone so vulnerable survive in this world?

Finally Itachi smiled serenely and murmured, "I'm your big brother Itachi… And I'll always be there to protect you."

In the corner of the room, Rin was dabbing her eyes with a sleeve. Despite all the problems the Uchiha clan may have, the love that they would give Sasuke would be unconditional. It was clear that Sasuke was the luckiest child in the world to have three older brothers looking out for him.

"C'mon, let's give Aunt Mikoto some rest," Obito said. Rin moved forwards, taking Sasuke from Itachi and gently resting him in a high cot.

The others moved to the door yet Itachi found himself rooted to the spot. He couldn't bring himself to leave something so small unprotected.

Obito was the first to understand and rumpled Itachi's hair. "Watch over them," he grinned. "I'll go get you an ice-cream."

Itachi nodded and sat himself in a chair in between Sasuke's cot and Mikoto's bed.

For the rest of the day Itachi simply sat there watching over his mother and younger brother. Shisui and Obito came in and out, occasionally giving him drinks or food whilst Mikoto slept.

Yet throughout these goings on, Itachi knew there was something missing or someone for that matter. Everyone kept glancing at the door, waiting for the person to step through. The father of the baby never did. Uchiha Fugaku was nowhere to be seen.

Disappointment was clear in Shisui's eyes and Obito didn't bother to hide his anger. Itachi knew his father had been distant in the past months, ever since Masanori had died. But what could be more important than the birth of your son?

Eventually night fell and Shisui and Obito decided to go home. Itachi stayed, curled up in the chair as he watched and waited for his father to show. Then, even he gave up. Soft, soothing tiredness coaxed his eyes shut and Itachi slipped into a dreamless sleep.

It was around one in the morning when Itachi was pulled from sleep as he felt something warm and heavy be draped over him. For a moment, he drowsily reached for his weapons pouch until a familiar smell filled his senses. It was the rough but comforting scent of his father. Itachi clutched Fugaku's flak jacket and snuggled deeper into its folds.

Opening bleary eyes, he could just make out a dark figure holding Sasuke.

"You're beautiful," Fugaku breathed to the baby. He glanced over at the bed.

"His name is Sasuke," Mikoto's voice whispered from the bed. Her voice was firm telling her husband that there was no room for negotiation.

Fugaku paused for a moment and Itachi heard him say, "Uchiha Sasuke… It's a strong name, a fitting one."

He turned and said, "Itachi has your gentleness… I was hoping… No, I'm glad that Sasuke looks like you."

There was a soft chuckle from the bed. "Itachi has your capacity to love you know…" Mikoto murmured. "And Sasuke… He has your eyes."

Fugaku gently laid Sasuke back in the cot and turned to the bed. Bending down Itachi then felt Fugaku kiss him on top of his head. "I'm sorry," he said simply as he straightened. "A lead about Masanori's death came up and-"

"I understand," Mikoto cut in.

"Mikoto…" Fugaku whispered.

Itachi's stomach tightened. He hated conflict of any kind. When his parents argued, it caused him to shrivel inside. Why did they have to do this? Couldn't they just be a _normal_ family?

"You haven't stopped these past two months, Fugaku," Mikoto told him. "You've barely eaten, barely slept. I can hear you at night groaning in your sleep."

"Mikoto-"

"You can't lead the clan like this… At the rate you're going at, you'll be nothing more than ghost," Mikoto finished and her voice had suddenly become thick. "Grief is not a sign of weakness, Fugaku. The hardest thing a ninja goes through is grief because it's something that poisons the heart. Ignore it and it'll kill you."

Fugaku faltered. If there was one person who Uchiha Fugaku listened to, it was his wife. Many years later Itachi would realise how much Fugaku treasured Mikoto. She was his best friend, his counsellor, his anchor, and the unsung hero of the clan. Without Mikoto, the Uchiha clan would have fallen apart a long time ago.

Fugaku lay down on the bed and pulled Mikoto into his arms. Itachi knew that words had never been something that his father used to convey his emotions, but when Fugaku uttered the three words he never said enough Itachi felt instantly calm.

"I love you," Fugaku breathed into Mikoto's hair.

"I love you too," Mikoto whispered back. "But gods you can be an idiot sometimes…"

After hearing this, Itachi smiled. He then closed his eyes and finally succumbed to blissful sleep.

* * *

><p><em>It was strange that when someone important in your life died, time continued to tick away. The world didn't care if children were orphaned, families destroyed or if lovers were torn apart. Time is merciless. The things you loved the person for are forgotten about and soon to community the person is nothing more than a nostalgic memory.<em>

_ Those who fail to keep up with the momentum of the world fall through the cracks. They become lost in memories and regrets, frozen in time until all that's left is a ghost living in the past._

_ It had been two weeks since the White Fang had been killed in action. Kushina traced her way up the path that led to the Hatake compound. Despite the fact it was mid June the plants were slowly rotting away. Neglect had killed her sensei's much loved flowerbeds and the earth was dry and cracked beneath her feet. Dirty spotted windows sagged before her and the house itself seemed to be decaying away._

_ Kushina swallowed, gripping the plastic bag she was carrying. If it hadn't been for Kakashi and Minato, Kushina would have completely forgotten herself in her grief._

_ Yet… As an orphan herself, Kushina knew the nightmare that seven-year-old Kakashi was going through at the moment._

_ Walking through the front yard, she slowly trod up the porch steps and unlocked the front door. Immediately, the musty smell of dust hit her nose. Dirty dishes were piled up upon the dining table, with weeks of congealing food and growing mould cemented upon the plates._

_ Kushina wrinkled her nose, scooping up the crockery and moving it into the kitchen. "Kakashi?" She called._

_ The name was swallowed by thick silence. Kushina frowned and padded across the dirty floorboards, which left dark stains on the soles of her feet._

_ "Kakashi," Kushina called again but the house's silence transformed her voice into a whisper. She crept along the corridor to find the door to Kakashi's room ajar._

_ With a tentative hand, she slowly pushed the door open._

_ Kushina's heart flew up into her throat and she could feel its very beat fluttering inside her mouth. Her eyes stung with heartbreak and her chest burned with pain._

_ Lying on his bed was Kakashi. It appeared that he was reaching into space with a hand but Kushina knew better. With the single shaft of sunlight escaping through the blinds, the light illuminated scatterings of dust that were floating around the room. The dust swirled and danced around Kakashi's hand as he vainly tried to capture it between his fingers._

_ Staring at dust was a favourite pastime of Minato's that Kakashi must have picked up but Kushina knew that unlike his sensei, Kakashi wasn't searching for the thousands of possibilities contained within the dust. No… Kakashi was instead trying to capture the elusive memories that the dust hid._

_ It was a connection to another world, the afterlife and to Kakashi if he could catch some of the stardust then he would be able to see his father again._

_ Kushina moved soundlessly across the room and lay down beside Kakashi on the bed. She watched his hand for a moment as it waved aimlessly in the air. Then… She raised her hand and interlocked her fingers with his._

_ "It's impossible y'know," she murmured. "Minato's tried it… You'll never be able to capture or replicate it. Some things are meant to remain a mystery."_

_ She lowered their hands to Kakashi's chest. Then she noticed something protruding from his shirt pocket._

_ "What's this?" She asked. "A photograph?"_

_ Kakashi didn't answer but he let her remove it and he clutched her hand even tighter. As she gazed at the photograph, Kushina's eyes softened._

_ This was perhaps the only photo of Hatake Sakumo where he was unmasked. Laughing, he was hugging a woman as he planted a kiss on her cheek. The woman herself was rolling her eyes yet the smile upon her lips betrayed her emotions. It was a warm, blissful smile that enveloped the couple in happy contentment._

_ Kakashi resembled his mother so much it was frightening. Same narrow jawline, same features that were far too angular to considered beautiful. Both shared that striking, unforgettable face with cheekbones that could cut glass. Although Kakashi had missed out on his mother's chestnut tresses and her deep blue irises, their eyes possessed the same enigmatic light._

_ So much mystery shrouded Kakashi's mother. All Kushina knew was that the woman had worked in the cryptography unit, so much of what she did was way above Kushina's clearance level. Yet, Kushina knew one thing. Sensei had been utterly in love with her and Sakumo would never have fallen for a bad woman._

_ On the rare occasions when Kushina had met Sensei's wife she had been both horribly intimidated but completely in awe of her._

_ Smiling, she placed the photo on the bedside table and drew Kakashi into a gentle hug._

_ "It doesn't even matter," Kakashi mumbled and he suddenly sat up. The shaft of light faded as presumably a cloud crossed the sky._

_ He drifted from the bed to leave the room but Kushina was too fast. In one swift movement, she blocked his way. Kneeling down, Kushina enveloped Kakashi in tight embrace._

_ "It _does_ matter," she breathed. "It will always matter. You are you're parents legacy and everything they dreamed for."_

_ She drew away and a smile blossomed across her face. "Live Kakashi," she told him. "Live and become a man who your parents can be proud of."_

Kushina let out a long sigh as she sat at her desk. Kakashi had indeed grown up into that young man whom Sakumo could be proud of. The years had whirled by so quickly that Kushina felt as if it were yesterday when she had found Kakashi alone in his dusty house… Had it really been eight years since Sakumo had died?

Kushina caressed her swollen belly and moved away from the desk. Slowly she approached the window to be kissed by a gentle summer breeze. It pained Kushina that she still hadn't seen Mikoto since her son Sasuke had been born. Apparently Mikoto had caught a cold so the hospital was keeping her in for a few days. Of course being pregnant herself, Kushina was absolutely forbidden to see her.

A small smile graced Kushina's lips as she thought of her present to Sasuke. Anko's hidden skill at carving had proved to be astounding. The thirteen-year-old girl had created a delicate mobile to hang above Sasuke's cot when he returned home. A miniature cat, dainty mirrors that sparkled when they caught the light and even a tomato hung from the mobile. The wood itself was lovingly sanded and varnished until it gleamed in the light.

The smile faded as Kushina recalled how Anko had completely blanked Kakashi when she had dropped off the mobile last week. That idiot of a girl was still punishing herself and Kakashi, being a boy, of course had no idea why she was acting that way.

"I hope you don't have any problems with girls… Eh Naruto?" Kushina smiled as she rubbed her abdomen. "Hopefully you'll have my common sense and Minato's good looks, then you'll have no problem with women at all."

Since she was the kyubi container, Biwako dragged her into the hospital for weekly ultrasounds and during one the old bat had accidentally let slip the sex of the baby. Most likely to spite Kushina for all the times she had misbehaved.

"You're going to be so loved," Kushina cooed as she moved back to the desk. "You'll have Kakashi… He'll always be there to protect you."

As she sat back down, Kushina felt a faint kick from the baby. "That's right," she laughed. "Jiraiya will be your godfather. Be wary of him. There'll also be Obito and Rin too. Hopefully Sasuke will grow up to be your best friend…"

"And he'll have us too," a soft voice said and Kushina felt gentle hand on her shoulder.

Kushina's eyes stung with the unthinkable. Both Minato and her didn't have conventional childhoods. They had grown up as orphans and Kushina desperately wanted her child to have a normal, happy life. The very thought of Naruto growing up without a family or even having a childhood like Kakashi's broke her heart.

"I hope so, Minato," Kushina whispered. "I really hope so."

They stared down at the neatly bound papers on the desk. In harsh, bold lettering the front page read: _The Last Will and Testament of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina_

* * *

><p>July swept into a sweltering August which was soon washed away by a balmy September. Soon the day arrived that the council had been anxiously waiting for: the meeting between Konoha and Kumo in the neutral grounds of Hot Water Country.<p>

Both leaders had agreed to follow the same regulations that were implemented during a Kage Summit. So with only two ninjas to accompany him, Minato had made his journey to the home of the Hot Water Feudal Lord.

"This is going to be troublesome," Shikaku sighed as they made their way through the Feudal Lord's extravagant gardens.

Minato, however, wasn't listening. He was gazing around the gardens with an awed expression. It was beautiful here in the temperate climate. Lush greenery glowed in the September sun and dainty flowers bejewelled the railings along the paths. An exquisite chrysanthemum caught Minato's eye and he stooped to examine it. The spiralling petals were a gorgeous crimson colour with subtle undertones of cherry. The flower reminded Minato of Kushina and he wondered whether he would be allowed to bring some home for her.

"Uh Hokage-sama?" A voice suddenly broke his musings.

"Don't worry, he always does this," Shikaku sighed. "You should see him in the Yamanaka's shop."

"I've always liked this country," Minato smiled as he straightened. Namiashi Raido gave him a bemused look while Shikaku was just plain amused. "It was a wise decision disbanding their ninja village, the country's really prospered."

They continued their way through the gardens with several pauses as Minato stopped to examine more flowers. He couldn't help it. There were so many fascinating things that deserved his attention. Perhaps that was why Minato was such a perceptive person. He had the ability to find the beauty that was always missed by passers by.

Finally the Konoha party reached the grand doors to the Feudal Lord's home.

"Namikaze Minato, in the flesh!" A cheery voice broke out through the late afternoon air. Minato turned to see the Feudal Lord himself coming up the path. His large sunhat bobbed up and down as he walked with a troop of servants carrying various gardening tools behind him.

"Feudal Lord-sama!" Minato exclaimed and he bowed.

"Stand up straight please," the Feudal Lord smiled. "It should be me bowing really. Konoha did protect our country after all in the Second War and I have heard some truly fantastic stories about you."

The Feudal Lord peeled off his gardening gloves, handed them to a servant and led the party into the house.

"My apologies for such an unorthodox greeting," the Feudal Lord told them. "I like to do my own gardening and I lost track of time… Raikage-sama's party arrived this morning and are already in their rooms…"

"Your gardens are beautiful," Minato told him. "Especially the chrysanthemums."

"Ah those are my pride and joy," the Feudal Lord nodded. "I managed to import those particular ones from River Country. At the moment I'm trying to cultivate some particularly stubborn water lilies from what used to Whirlpool Island… Such beautiful things but I think they could do better with a more humid climate like Konoha's."

"There's life on Whirlpool now?" Minato's eyes widened. The last he had heard was that all that was left of Whirlpool was barren rock as the civil war had even wiped out the wildlife.

"Oh yes," the Feudal Lord nodded. "Not much mind you apart from plants but the land is slowly healing itself."

Minato's trademark grin broke out across his face. Kushina would be overjoyed when she heard the news. He knew that his wife had almost given up on her dream of rebuilding Whirlpool. But if there was life… They could start a project to cultivate it until they could establish a Whirlpool colony.

Minato smiled. He'd have to focus on investigating the island further after Naruto was born of course, yet there was hope.

"You will be shown to your rooms and given dinner at five," the Feudal Lord told them. "Of course you have free access to our hot springs and the gardens. The meeting with Kumo will commence at seven this evening."

Minato's smile faded. Now was not the time to be distracted. Tonight would be one of the most crucial meetings in Minato's career. If the meeting went well tonight then history would be made. If not, relations would stagnate into the usual hostility or worse, Konoha could have another war on it's hands.

* * *

><p>Darui rumpled his hair with a yawn as he and C sat in the darkened booth.<p>

"How can you be possibly tired in a situation like this?" C muttered to him.

Darui shrugged and slouched in his seat. Despite his languid demeanour, Darui's senses had turned hypersensitive with tension. He would have preferred it if the meeting had been in the Land of Iron but travelling that far would have caught the attention of other villages.

Then again, the Hot Water Feudal Lord had done a good job of creating a secure meeting room. The underground bunker was so secure that even he would have a hard time attempting to spy on the meeting. Apparently the room had been used back when Hot Water's ninja village had been active.

"So… We meet again, Yellow Flash," A's voice rose up.

"Please, just call me Minato," the Yellow Flash's mild voice answered. "Congratulations on your post as Raikage… Though I am sorry to hear about your father. Truly, the Third Raikage was a phenomenal ninja."

Darui and C leant forwards in their seat and stared through the netted curtains to gaze at the meeting below.

The Yellow Flash hadn't changed at all. True he was now wearing a coat that had the 'Fourth Hokage' written on the back but other than that the man looked the same as he did two years ago.

"Same to you," A nodded.

There was a tense silence. Darui's eye narrowed. This was not going well. If neither side could lower their guard then negotiations would be-

"So, which issue would you like to discuss first?" Minato suddenly asked. The light tone of the Hokage's voice instantly broke Darui's worries. With mildly surprised eyes, Darui gazed down to see a genuinely warm smile upon the Yellow Flash's face. Even the tension from A's shoulders eased a little.

"Well first there's that goddamn war criminal Orochimaru," A growled.

"Agreed," Minato nodded. "If information had been shared then a situation like the one in Koori could have been prevented."

"My ANBU discovered an abandoned laboratory to the north of Koori," A said. "Right on the border of our country… It's been abandoned for a while but we found quite a few human remains."

"Definitely sounds like him," Minato nodded. "At the moment we have our very best tracking him"

"And who would your very best be?" A raised an eyebrow.

Minato grinned, "Who else but one of Orochimaru's ex-teammates? Jiraiya. So please try and let him do his thing."

C and Darui exchanged looks. "Would not like him tracking me," Darui muttered dryly as C nodded in agreement.

And so the meeting continued well into the night. Trade agreements were set up, information was to be shared about Orochimaru and even the suggestion of Kumo participating in the chunin exams came up. Prejudice, mistrust… It had ruined so many lives and caused three horrific wars. If Suna hadn't declared war on Konoha for supposedly kidnapping their Kazekage, the third war would have never happened. Darui knew it would be years for all of these agreements to be implemented yet it was warming to finally see two major villages reaching out to help each other.

Finally the topic that sat closest to everyone's hearts came up.

"These agreements are all very well," A told Minato. "However how can Kumo trust Konoha? Your nation has been caught up in far too many wars, not to mention that you don't seem to look after your own particularly well."

Minato's eyes narrowed. "Perhaps your nation should restrain itself for kidnapping our people then," he replied coldly.

A vein in A's temple bulged dangerously. Sensing trouble C formed his hands into a seal but Darui shook his head.

"Just watch," he murmured to his friend.

"By kidnapping Hatake Kakashi we saved him," A snarled as his hands formed fists.

Minato stared at A for a moment and he finally said softly, "And I thank you for that."

Darui chuckled softly at C's surprise. Ever since seeing the pain on the Yellow Flash's face after being forced to abandon Kakashi, Darui knew that the man could be trusted. Despite being extraordinarily talented at killing, Namikaze Minato was a man searching for peace.

"I am eternally grateful for Kumo's treatment of my student," Minato said. "However Kakashi will always be loyal to Konoha, just as his father was. However he will also never give away any of your secrets, even to me."

A rubbed his chin ruefully and nodded. "The boy's loyalty is certainly divided," he agreed.

"Kakashi is the reason that this meeting has taken place," Minato continued. "Without him our relations would still be hostile."

Darui ceased to slouch as the decision he had been waiting for was approaching. Both A and he had spent days discussing the matter only to come up with way for the alliance to work. It was clear that the Yellow Flash had come up with the same conclusion.

"In a few weeks time Kakashi's review will come up. Having done exceptionally well, as usual, I plan to promote him to jonin," Minato told A. "Kakashi has only just turned sixteen so he's still very young, however Nara Shikaku will take him under his wing to train him for his new role."

"And what role would that be?" A asked.

Minato grinned, "Konoha's ambassador to Kumo. With the right training Kakashi will be heading the alliance."

A lazy smile flicked its way across Darui's face and even A cracked a small smile. "The Naras are known as expert planners and tacticians," A agreed. "Kakashi will be empathetic to both villages. However… I would like someone from Kumo to work alongside him."

A glanced up at the booth Darui and C were sitting in. Then his gaze flicked back down to Minato. "My right hand man, Darui," A told the Hokage. "He trained Kakashi during his time in Kumo."

C gave Darui a surprised look causing the man to shrug. Not matter how he acted, Darui was excited to see his old student again… Well as excited as Darui could get. He couldn't help but worry slightly about Kakashi's integration back into Konoha. Was the White Fang's son still accepted? Or were people wary of him because of his two-year disappearance? Darui wondered how Kakashi's techniques were getting on and whether he had managed to build up his stamina.

The flat had felt so empty without Kakashi and Darui had been at a lost as what to do with Kakashi's clothes. Deep down he knew that Konoha was Kakashi's rightful home but it didn't stop him missing his old pupil.

Minato grinned, his azure eyes flicking up to Kumo's booth. "Perfect," the Hokage smiled and slowly he outstretched a hand.

There was a sharp intake of breath from the direction of the Hot Water Feudal Lord's booth and both parties visibly tensed. Darui, however, wasn't worried at all.

With a bark of laughter A grabbed Minato's hand and shook it. Instantly relief filled the room and Darui could feel C relax next to him. In that moment a lasting friendship was made, ending decades of animosity between the two villages. Promises and hopes of peace floated in the air, so tangible that the underground bunker seemed to visibly brighten. For as long as Kakashi and any of his successors lived, Kumo and Konoha would be allies.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: The next two chapters will be the last of this arc and part I. Things will be speeding up, I just wanted to take my time to lay the foundations for the various plots that are going on.**

**Thanks so much for reading so far! See you next chapter ^^ **


	30. Chapter 29

**A/N: Just two things I'd like to ask you before you read this chapter. One pay attention to times. Two please keep an open mind. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 29<strong>

11th October 775 – 1:58 AM

Twenty-six minutes. Not a second more or second less. The sheer precision of it would have any jonin proud, yet all Hatake Kakashi could do was let out a slightly hysterical laugh.

Twenty-six minutes. Just enough time to make Obito's favourtie soba noodle dish or for Kakashi to make it a quarter of the way through his favourite book. Twenty-six minutes was the exact time in which it took Kakashi to complete the two-hour Academy final exam and it also just happened to be Nohara Rin's favourite number.

Twenty-six minutes. Enough time to share a perfect moment with a lover, enough time to bring a joy into a child's life, enough time for a heart warming talk with your family.

Twenty-six minutes. That was all it took for 3,000 lives to die. In that time families were ripped apart, children orphaned, hearts broken, seeds of hatred planted for generations to come.

Twenty-six minutes. That was the time it took for the destruction of Konoha.

* * *

><p>10th October 775 – 16:45 PM<p>

"Uzumaki Kushina would you hurry up! There are academy children who could move faster than you!"

Kushina rolled her eyes at Biwako's screech from the hallway. Today was the day that Minato and her had been working tirelessly towards. A few hours ago Kushina's water had broke just as Biwako had predicted and her contractions were now becoming more regular.

It was something to do with the fact that she was a jinchuriki that allowed them to accurately predict when Naruto would be born. The seal grew weaker each month and on the 10th October it would be at it's weakest. Kushina sighed. It was either that or the kyubi was fed up and just wanted to get rid of the baby already.

"Kushina!" Biwako called again.

"I'm coming, I'm coming already!" Kushina yelled back. As the 'dattebane' infected the end of sentence she slapped a hand to her mouth. She didn't want Naruto to have such an embarrassing quirk in his speech so she had been trying to stamp out her habit during her pregnancy. Hopefully Naruto would inherit Minato's soft, well-spoken voice.

"Kush-"

"I'm here already," Kushina cut in as approached Biwako who was scowling in her hallway. "A pregnant lady can only move so fast y'know."

"That's no excuse," Biwako snapped. "And as I recall your pregnancy didn't stop you attempting a training session a month ago."

Kushina laughed weakly. It was so _boring_ being pregnant. Women like Mikoto were complete naturals at it. Kushina on the other hand had been going stir crazy. If it weren't for Minato she would have taken her frustration out on some poor unsuspecting chunin.

"Now come on," Biwako seized her hand. "We have a schedule to keep up with."

"Yeah, yeah," Kushina rolled her eyes as the Third Hokage's wife dragged her along. How Hiruzen put up with this woman she would never know.

Kushina leant her head back allowing the late afternoon sunshine to caress her skin. Her hair tumbled back into a waterfall, shinning as thousands of reds gleamed and shone in one long flag of Whirlpool.

Her hair was no longer something to be ashamed of. For most of her life she had struggled with her dual identity. Too terrified to let her Whirlpool roots go yet yearning to be released from her isolation in Konoha. Some people said that Minato had tamed Kushina, the wild girl from Whirlpool. True, she was no longer prone to spitting at people in the face or snarling at the nearest person who came near her. Yet… She hadn't been tamed. She had been saved.

Sakumo, Minato, Mikoto, Kakashi… They had all pulled her from the shrouded hatred of kyubi.

Kushina's eyes were still a wild, ocean blue but the water had been calmed with sweet contentment. These past few months after Kakashi's return… They had been the happiest in Kushina's life.

Suddenly up ahead a figure caught Kushina's eye. A grin swept its way across her lips and waddling as fast as she could Kushina called, "Hey Mikoto!"

The figure turned to reveal Uchiha Mikoto in all her motherly glory with the baby sash attached to her body.

"Kushina," Mikoto beamed. "It's been far too long."

"Is this him?" Kushina exclaimed as she peered at the bundle. What with Mikoto being ill after the birth and Minato and Kushina being so busy with the preparations of Naruto's birth, Kushina found that she still hadn't met the newest member of the Uchiha clan.

"Yes," Mikoto smiled. "Meet Sasuke."

Sasuke was asleep yet upon seeing such a wonderfully perfect face, Kushina found intrepid excitement building up inside her. Some people said that marriage was the end of your life. Kushina had always thought that until she fallen in love with Minato. Yet… As she gazed as Sasuke Kushina knew that was embarking upon the most exhilarating journey of her life. Though the birth of Naruto may be the end of an era, it was also the beginning of a new generation.

"He's gorgeous," Kushina smiled. "But with his face screwed up like that he does look remarkably like Fugaku…"

Mikoto laughed, "Oh I've missed you Kushina…"

"Don't worry after Naruto is born we'll be able spend more time together," Kushina assured her. There was that almost painful pang of excitement again.

"I would love that," Mikoto smiled. "Oh I can't wait to see him… I hope Sasuke and he will become friends."

"They will," Kushina nodded with Uzumaki confidence. "I know they will."

"Kushina!" A voice suddenly screeched.

Kushina rolled her eyes as Biwako stormed up to the two women. "Here comes Konoha's number one dictator," she muttered to Mikoto who giggled. Something things never changed.

"Come on," Biwako grabbed Kushina's arm and started to drag her away. "We're on a schedule here."

"See you later Mikoto!" Kushina called to her.

"Take care!" Her friend waved with a sympathetic smile.

As Biwako continued to drag the Hokage's wife down the street she scowled, "The details of your child's birth is top secret. You shouldn't be talking to anybody about it."

Kushina couldn't help but roll her eyes as she was frogmarched through Konoha.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile on the other side of Konoha a rather more forlorn scene was occurring.<p>

"It must have been around here," Rin ran an agitated hand through her hair as she scanned the narrow path that led from the back of Konoha library. "I mean I spent all of yesterday there… And I only realised that I had lost it when I got back to the apartment…"

"Come on Rin," a tired Aoba said. "You've spent all night and the whole of today searching for it… Can't you just get a new necklace? There's a merchant who sells pretty nice shell necklaces from Wave Country."

Rin scanned the path again then whirled around to face her boyfriend. "You don't understand," she said softly, her heart sinking with disappointment. "Obito _gave_ me that necklace as a birthday present during the war… I have to find it."

Rin knew she was being both stupid and irrational. Obito probably didn't even know that she still had the handmade necklace that he had given her for her thirteenth birthday. Yet… That necklace meant everything to Rin.

During the war, when Rin had been at her lowest, she had clung to the necklace. Each time she felt the string chaff her skin she was reminded of Obito's sunny smile. It was the thought of Obito's wonderful optimism and his sheer determination that helped Rin through her depression and fear that the war would never end. The necklace became a lucky charm. With every comforting bump of the shell beneath her tunic, Rin knew that her friends were behind her.

When the thick, stifling nights suffocated Rin she would take out the necklace and stare at the shell. On one side the shell was a dull, washed out grey. The surface roughened by the trials of time and nature, the texture unforgiving upon the skin. Yet within the concave shell was a swirling treasure of colours. Mysterious pinks, soft hues of blue with the odd whisper of purple, all enveloped in a glowing pearlescent shroud. The colours were of a loving, silky texture that caressed anyone who was lucky enough to touch them.

So many times Rin had found herself crying as she was unable to escape the memories of what she had witnessed in the medic's tent. Horrific mutilations, grown men crying out for their mothers, the stench of death and perhaps worst of all the hopeless cases. Sometimes all Rin could was sit with the ninja as they died, delirious and unaware of where they were or who Rin was.

Yet… Once you stared at the colours of the shell, they captured you. Rin found herself mesmerised by the indescribable beauty of the shell. As she lay upon her cold, uncomfortable bedroll she would stare at the shell and lose herself. The colours would cause her to forget the nightmares and terrors that haunted her.

Even after the war Rin would sometimes find herself staring at the necklace and instantly any stress would be washed away. Lately, however, she hadn't even thought about the necklace that had been tied around her neck. Rin had been so blissfully happy that Obito's gift had faded from her mind.

Sour guilt filled Rin's mouth yet that wasn't the only reason she was so desperate to find the necklace. A sickening feeling was pulling at her gut. Without the necklace, Rin felt that something terrible was going to happen.

"Come on," Aoba sighed and he gently pulled on her arm.

Rin glanced up at him. She knew that he was trying however Rin couldn't help but feel dismayed that her boyfriend had no idea why the necklace was so important to her. Rin cast another forlorn gaze down the path and for the first time she found herself faking a smile. "Yeah…" She said softly. "Let's go…"

* * *

><p>10th October 775 - 18:03 PM<p>

_5__th__ October 775_

_Dear Hatake Kakashi,_

_After reviewing your current progress it gives me great pleasure in informing you on your promotion to the rank of jonin. __As a jonin there are now a number of privileges available to you such as access to the jonin lounge, more paid holidays and also higher wages*._

_However the rank is of one the greatest honours of a ninja. You now uphold an example to those of lower ranks and also are in a position of leadership._ _As_ _you are now a jonin there are now a number of career options available to you. As well taking part in high-ranking missions such as A and S rank, you are able to choose and lead lower ranking missions. Remember it is important that you choose your team on ability and suitability for the mission._

_ Due to your skill set I have assigned you a tutor who shall train you for your new career._

_Congratulations and all the best for the future._

_Yours Sincerely,_

_Namikaze Minato, Fourth Hokage_

_*= Please note that any damage done to the jonin lounge is considered to be an act of vandalism and will be deducted from your wages. Higher wages will also depend on the danger of the mission and it is strongly recommended to take out life insurance. We have many great deals for new jonins!_

"So who's your tutor?" Obito asked as he peered over Kakashi's shoulder.

"Every heard of privacy?" Kakashi muttered as he folded and slipped the letter into his new flak jacket pocket.

"Privacy shimvacy," Obito waved a hand. "Everyone knows you're getting a promotion."

"Really?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow, having only heard about yesterday from the Hokage himself.

"News gets round," Obito shrugged. "Anyway it was obvious you would with your robotic perfection and all that."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Kakashi said with a wry smile.

The two friends continued to walk down the main street of Konoha. Despite it being October the air had only a slight breath of cold to it. Shop owners were bustling home for the day, two children raced past Kakashi and Obito; laughing as they savoured the last hour of daylight. Keen restaurateurs were lighting lanterns, eager to reel in more customers, as the first few trickled in for an early dinner. As the daytime bustle was drawing to a close, Kakashi could feel the ebb of the evening hub flow in. Konoha was full of warm life. Even Kumo with its majestic peaks and lofty buildings could never compare to the chaotic buzz of Konoha.

"Where are we going anyway?" Kakashi suddenly frowned.

Obito gave him an incredulous look. "You're almost bad as Sensei, moron," Obito couldn't help but add on the insult. "We're going to _your _celebration dinner."

"Thanks for telling me, loser," Kakashi quipped.

"Hey that's _Senpai_ now," Obito grinned.

Just before Kakashi could find a comeback a figure up ahead caught his eye. Despite being a genius, Kakashi could never understand why his eyes were always drawn to Anko. It was so utterly infuriating that Kakashi had decided that the only solution was to train himself not to. Each time he had a sighting of Anko, Kakashi forced himself to recite the White Fang's Ninja Code in his head as he stared very hard at the ground. Sakumo had never held much regard for the rules that were drilled into the children at Academy so he had taught his son a modified version instead.

_Number one, _Kakashi thought as Anko walked towards them. _A ninja must always show compassion, even to his enemies._

He reverted his gaze to the ground and shoved his hands into his pockets. Next to him, Obito cottoned onto the sudden tension and helped fill in the silence with some anecdote about Itachi.

Just as Kakashi reached number six, a ninja must look underneath the underneath, his nose twitched. Anko was so close now that her scent was clouting his senses. How could one person's smell be overpowering? No… Overpowering wasn't the right word. Overpowering gave the impression that Anko's scent was unpleasant. No… It was addictive. That was what Kakashi hated. He was the White Fang's son, the Yellow Flash's Student. He was the White Demon. Kakashi was full of vigilant self-discipline and training. So why was it so hard to ignore one person's scent?

A genius Kakashi may be as a ninja, but when it came to girls he was a complete and utter moron. He just couldn't fathom how one person could mess with his head. So Kakashi decided to do what most boys decide to do. Ignore it.

Anko breezed straight past Kakashi as if he didn't exist and once her scent faded away, he decided it was time to stop reciting his father's code.

"Girls," Obito muttered with a shake of his head and Kakashi nodded in agreement.

"Saw Rin earlier today with that sunglasses-wearing twat," he told Kakashi.

"Says the guy who has goggles permanently attached to his head," Kakashi said dryly.

Obito scowled but didn't say anything. Inwardly Kakashi sighed and sincerely hoped that he would never become entangled in something messy as love.

They rounded the corner onto Konoha's main square. The life beat, the ancient heart of the village stood at the centre in its full majestic glory. Konoha's great oak seemed to almost hum with life at lanterns and offerings swung from its branches. In the effort to avoid the stares of the villagers, Kakashi always avoided the centre of town, yet as he stared up at the tree he couldn't help but feel awe at the first tree Hashirama planted when he had created the village.

In that moment, as the villagers laughed and bustled around them, and with the tree buzzing with life: Kakashi felt that Konoha was immortal.

"Well, well, if it isn't Hatake Kakashi," a voice suddenly said.

Obito and Kakashi turned to see the stoic figure of Captain Yuhi approach them.

"Captain Yuhi," Kakashi said, immediately straightening and pulling his hands from his pockets. It was pure habit from the war with Yuhi as his acting captain. Needless to say Kakashi was glad that those days were over yet habits died hard.

"Congratulations," Captain Yuhi said in his gruff voice. "I heard you were promoted to jonin. Long over due if you ask me."

"Thank you, Captain," Kakashi nodded.

"Please the war's been over for almost three years," Captain Yuhi shrugged. "You don't need to call me Captain anymore. It's Yuhi Hisao seeing as we're of the same rank now."

"Course, Hisao-san," Kakashi forced himself to say.

Hisao cracked a wry smile. "Bloody polite as always, knew you hadn't changed despite the growth spurt," he said causing Obito to laugh.

Hisao then clapped a hand on Kakashi's shoulder and he said softly, "I knew you weren't dead. We sent so many search parties out… Two years, Hatake, two years. You almost had me worried."

Kakashi almost felt the need to apologise for his kidnapping. Of course he had spent his time thinking about Obito, Rin, Minato and Kushina… But he hadn't thought about his comrades he had left behind at the outpost in Waterfall Country.

"Your mother would be proud," Hisao murmured so softly that Kakashi almost missed it.

His mother… That was the thing about Kurenai's father. He was the only person who ever mentioned Kakashi's mother. Kakashi recalled the day when he had sat in the training grounds of the outpost and had almost given up on fight against Orochimaru. Hisao had compared Kakashi to his mother then and it was him who had given Kakashi the resolve to fight against the Sannin.

In truth Captain Yuhi was a man who Kakashi admired yet… Whenever they spoke Kakashi always felt there was a huge connection missing between them. Something always seemed to hold Hisao back and Kakashi knew that it had something to do with his mother. It was childish of him but all Kakashi had was the memory of a vague scent and a photo that held the image of his mother together. If he could get Captain Yuhi to open up, perhaps Kakashi could find out whom she really had been.

Just as Hisao turned away Kakashi suddenly called, "I never did repay you for saving my life when we took out Iwa's outpost."

Hisao glanced over his shoulder at Kakashi. For a nano-second Kakashi could have sworn he saw Hisao's eyes glaze over but instantly Captain Yuhi shook himself and laughed, "I'm sure you will someday, Hatake." With that he body flickered away leaving Kakashi behind with nothing but questions.

* * *

><p>"Tonight?" Mikoto whispered to Fugaku as she was preparing dinner. She should have known that was something wrong when her husband actually turned up for dinner.<p>

"Katsuro had a two week reconnaissance mission to scout the areas where Root trains," Fugaku murmured back. "He was supposed to report back last night."

"Katsuro…" Mikoto began to dice the spring onion she had been chopping without realising it. "Masanori's son?"

Fugaku nodded. His eyes flicked to the backdoor to where Itachi was training in the yard, then he whispered, "The boy has been acting strangely ever since his father's death but that is understandable. In any case, the clan elders have declared an emergency meeting. If clan members are being targeted…"

"We could have an all out war on our hands," Mikoto breathed and her hand froze, knife poised to further shred the vegetable.

Fugaku leant over and gently prised the knife from her. As he placed it down upon the counter he then said, "I want you there with me."

Despite the importance of the request, Mikoto was not entirely surprised. The proverb 'behind every great man is a great woman' runs true for the Uchiha clan. Mikoto supported Fugaku through every decision he made. She was the anchor in times of trouble, had the talent of being able to soothe the clan elders and often it was she who came up with the solutions.

It was often forgotten that before Mikoto had married Fugaku she had been a highly capable jonin in the intelligence division. Flattery, subterfuge and seduction were her specialities. Mikoto was nowhere near the doe-eyed housewife that everyone thought she was. Kushina always cackled about the very idea of Mikoto being a housewife.

In truth Mikoto found peace in being a mother. Though she missed the excitement of infiltrating a base or extracting important information from an enemy ninja, Mikoto preferred watching her children grow.

However at times like these, the mother of the Uchiha clan was prepared forsake her domestic demeanour and return to her old ways if it meant protecting her children.

"I'll be there," she assured him. "I'm sure I'll be able to get Auntie Uruchi to watch Itachi and Sasuke."

It was a wrench to leave her children, after all Mikoto had not left Sasuke alone yet. But duty was duty and the clan always came first. That was the number one rule and no one knew that better than Fugaku and Mikoto.

* * *

><p>10th October 775 – 21:14 PM<p>

"Ahh did you think this would ever happen to us?" Inoichi said ruefully as he stared into his cup of sake.

"What?" Choza asked as he chewed on a piece of grilled pork.

"This," Inoichi gestured around the table as they sat in their favourite BBQ joint.

"I think it may have hit Inoichi that we're adults now," Shikaku said with a laconic smile.

"Oh," Choza paused as he picked up another piece of meat with his chopsticks.

"I mean we're fathers now," Inoichi frowned. "It's time to start acting responsibly…"

Responsibility was an alien concept to Inoichi. True he had vastly matured since the war. Amputation, death of your father and marriage does that you. Yet… He had never imagined himself to be twenty-six, a father, husband and head of his clan. For some reason Inoichi had always thought himself to be eternally young.

When he had fought the bastard who had killed the Third Kazekage during the war, reality had hit Inoichi hard when he had to have his leg amputated. Receiving the fated letter informing him of his father's death in Grass Country had been the final straw. After that Inoichi had vowed to be a man who his clan could be proud of.

True he had made mistakes and had apologised to a lot of people, mainly women, for the way he had acted when he was younger. Yet… After meeting his wife and finally falling in love, Inoichi had found a strange inner peace. Gone was the desire to chase women and later boast about his ventures. Gone were the days when Inoichi used to return home at six in the morning outrageously drunk and thankfully his neighbour no longer had to fear the head on the Yamanaka clan throwing up in her garden.

"Everyone's married now," Choza nodded. "Aburame Shibi has a kid. I also heard that Hyuga Hisashi's wife is pregnant."

"Where did you hear all of this?" Shikaku raised an eyebrow.

"Wife," Choza shrugged. "She really does have an ear for these things."

"Even Habanero is pregnant," Inoichi sighed. He had always held a secret flame for Uzumaki Kushina, despite all the teasing. "Can't believe Minato finally actually had the balls to ask her out. Only took him fourteen years."

"Speaking of which she should be due soon," Shikaku frowned but he didn't elaborate. Inoichi knew not pressure his friend. Shikaku liked to mull mysteries over and would only ever reveal what they were until he had worked them out.

"Ah this is the life," Choza burped as he patted his bloated stomach. "Peacetime, a beautiful wife and new-born son… Speaking of which…" Choza stood and threw down a wad of ryo.

"You off already?" Inoichi raised an eyebrow.

"I promised to help out with Choji more often," Choza smiled.

Inoichi sighed and to his horror Shikaku stood up too. "Not you too," he groaned.

"Yoshino will kill me if I come home late," Shikaku shrugged.

There was nothing Inoichi could do. His only option was to pay his share of the bill and follow his friends out of the restaurant.

As he trudged back to the Yamanaka compound on his own Inoichi knew it was a depressing realisation of your age when you were hurrying to get back home at nine in the evening.

Then, he caught sight of an equally gloomy figure walking up ahead. With an easy few steps he joined the side of his apprentice.

"Why so depressed, Aoba?" Inoichi asked, slapping the eighteen year old on the back.

"… Huh?" Aoba glanced at him. "Oh it's you, Inoichi."

"Is that how you greet your master?" Inoichi gave him a wounded look. "Come on you're at the prime of your youth, are in line for a successful career and have a beautiful girlfriend. There's no need to be glum on an evening like this."

"You're starting to sound like Maito Gai," Aoba raised an eyebrow from behind his sunglasses. God knows how the boy could see anything but then Inoichi had always figured that Aoba had the vision of a cat.

There was a moment's silence as they walked together, then Aoba said, "Rin's lost her favourite necklace."

"So buy her a new one," Inoichi shrugged.

"That's what I said," Aoba muttered. "But for some reason she's obsessed with finding it."

"Women are strange and mysterious creatures," Inoichi said wisely as he put an arm around his apprentice. "As mere mortal men we will never be able to understand them."

"So what am I supposed to do?" Aoba gave a morose sigh. "Nothing I do can seem to cheer her up and anyway… She's been growing more distant lately…"

Inoichi had to admit that it didn't sound good however the faint hearted never won at love. Well unless you were Namikaze Minato that is. Then it would take you just over a decade to get anywhere. In any case when it came down to it, if you were well and truly in love then you would always keep trying even if the chance you had was about the size of a pinprick. After all, it took three marriage proposals before his wife had accepted.

But if that miniscule chance vanished… Then it was best to get the hell out before you were hurt. Inoichi had always nursed an undying crush for Uzumaki Kushina, he wouldn't have teased her mercilessly all the way through their childhood otherwise. But as soon as he started to see her constant glances at Minato and that strange connection that she and the Hokage shared, Inoichi knew it was best to move on; even if that meant going through countless of women.

But he had done it and had proved that, even though it's unthinkable at the time, there's someone even better waiting for you out there. Inoichi pitied the poor sods who refused or found they couldn't move on. They just sat there stagnating away, falling into an unhappy marriage as some other man whisks off the woman they love. Inoichi absolutely rejected the thought of that happening to Aoba.

"Tell you what," Inoichi said slowly. "The main thing is that you have to remind Rin every now and then that you care for her. Women need reassurance."

"But how can I do-" Aoba suddenly stopped and Inoichi could see realisation dawning on his young apprentice.

"There it is," Inoichi laughed.

"Cheers Inoichi!" Aoba gave him his trademark lopsided grin and his apprentice sprinted off into the night.

Inoichi sighed and flashed his gaze up at the star filled sky above him. "Ah Habanero I never really was the man for you was I?" He said with a nostalgic smile. "But then you would never have been the right woman for me."

Inoichi suddenly grinned and found that he couldn't wait to get back to his wife Riko and his beautiful baby girl Ino.

* * *

><p>10th October 775 – 23:32 PM<p>

Minato had faced countless of terrifying things in his life. He had had a showdown with Tatsuya, leader of the seven swordsmen and a legendary war general of Kiri, during the second war. Minato had slayed hundreds of ninjas, protected countless of villages, killed the war criminal Sasori who had kidnapped and murdered the Third Kazekage, and he had even saved his entire outpost from a tailed beast in the last war.

He was the Yellow Flash and the Fourth Hokage. A living legend. Yet all of the things he had faced paled in comparison when he had to watch the birth of his son.

It had been excruciating to see Kushina, a woman who scoffed at the very thought of pain, screaming in agony. Even worst Biwako had shooed Minato away, telling him that if he wanted to understand what his wife was going through then he'd have to grow uterus.

After what felt like hours the piercing cry of a new-born infant reverberated throughout the cave. In that instance Minato forgot about the kyubi's seal and focused on his son.

"… Naruto?" Minato breathed, his eyes widening.

"Concentrate on the seal!" Biwako barked as she cut the umbilical cord. The Third's wife moved away to clean Naruto up and Minato cast his eyes back down to the seal.

"… How… Is he?" Kushina breathed.

Minato glanced at his wife and beamed, "Beautiful." It was true. Though Naruto was winkled and purple as all babies are when they're born, all Minato could see was perfection.

Suddenly something wet sprayed onto Minato's face and a dull thud met his ears. Eyes dilating, Minato slowly gazed over to see Biwako lying on the ground. Her eyes were glazed over with death and her throat had been so brutally cut that the arterial spray had managed to hit his face.

Minato's gaze then flashed over in front of him to see a dark figure clutching a small bundle.

"Naruto!" Kushina cried and she struggled to sit up but the childbirth had weakened her to the point of exhaustion.

Naruto's cries echoed bounced off the cave walls as the masked figure held him and the man called out, "Move and the child dies."

With an easy sweep the man suddenly clutched Naruto's head. One squeeze and Naruto's new-born skull would be crushed.

Before he could even react Minato felt a bulge of chakra that was so malevolent that if froze his very marrow. The seal was so weak now that the kyubi's chakra was seeping through. If Minato didn't fix the seal the tailed beast would soon be unleashed.

The Fourth Hokage glanced back at the masked figure and in that split second he made a decision that would cost him the lives of 3,000 people.

As soon as the man saw Minato move away from Kushina he hurled Naruto high up into the air.

It was Minato's inhuman reactions that saved his son. With a burst of chakra he leapt up and caught Naruto. In that instant he activated hiraishin, vanishing from the cave. A nano-second later he reappeared in the home that he and Kushina shared. Naruto continued to cry a high, piercing wail that caused Minato's heart to clench. Sprinting over to the bedroom, he laid Naruto down.

"Hush," he whispered softly and Naruto's cries petered out into gentle gurgles. "Don't cry Naruto. I'll be back soon, I promise. Daddy's just going to go and save Mummy."

Closing his eyes Minato began to focus on the tag he had long ago placed upon Kushina. Whoever the masked man was he was fast as Minato could feel Kushina's chakra growing more and more distant. But not fast enough to escape the phenomenal range of hiraishin. With one long glance at Naruto, Minato summoned up his chakra and vanished from the room.

In one dizzying whirl of gold and yellow, Minato materialised within metres of the masked man and his wife.

"You're as fast as the rumours say," the masked man said and he carelessly threw an unconscious Kushina onto the ground. The Four Symbols Seal that was holding the kyubi back was in tatters and Minato could see the kanji on Kushina's stomach merging into one nonsensical mess.

Minato absorbed his surroundings, taking in the spares trees around them and the thin slivers of moonlight that transformed the mossy ground beneath his feet into pearlescent sponge. Yet… The lights of Konoha glowed tantalisingly out to them and Minato could make out the corpses of the guards who had been on watch. They were only metres away from the village, just outside the east gate. By the looks of it the masked man was intent on unleashing the kyubi on Konoha and he had certainly chosen the right place. The east gate was the weakest point in Konoha's defences, not to mention it was also the shortest root to the beating heart of the village.

If he grabbed Kushina and activated hiraishin then it would buy him time to re-seal the kyubi. But if he did that then the masked man would get away and who knew what havoc he may wreck on Konoha if Minato wasn't there to stop him.

Before Minato could make a decision the moonlight hit the masked man and twin sharingan glowed at the Hokage.

"You're an Uchiha?" He drew a sharp intake of breath. "Who are you?"

The Uchiha cocked his head to the side and said, "You may call me, Uchiha Madara."

Minato drew out two kunai from his weapons pouch and frowned, "I don't know who you are but I know for sure that Madara is dead."

Bunching his muscles, Minato surged forwards hurling the two blades. One sailed straight past the masked man's head to be embedded into a tree and other spun high into the air, flashing in one mesmerising spiral.

In a flash Minato materialised above the masked man, kunai in hand and a rasengan in the other. The chakra spun in one furious torrent, emitting a high-pitched screech as Minato flew towards the masked man.

The man's sharingan spun and he dove out of the way just in time as Minato slammed the rasengan into the ground, blasting the trees around them into shrapnel. As he spun round Minato was suddenly met with a tanto spinning towards him in a deadly arc. Swaying to the side, the Fourth pulled out another kunai and with lightning reflexes parried the enemy's blade.

"You have less than a minute till the seal breaks," the masked man taunted as their blades grinded and snarled against each other. "What are you going to do, Fourth Hokage?"

Red chakra, so thick that it choked their surroundings, began to leak from the seal. The kyubi was so close from breaking out that Minato couldn't help but feel a pang of fear.

Focusing his chakra, Minato used hiraishin to wrench himself away to materialise by the kunai that he had thrown earlier. The masked man whirled around, sharingan spinning. The three tomoe whirled faster and faster until Minato could see the man's sharingan transforming into a strange shruiken shape.

"The mangekyo?" Minato breathed.

"It's time to purge the corruption of Konoha," his adversary spat.

In that moment Minato moved so fast that an average ninja would have missed it if they had blinked. With a sharp flick of the wrist Minato hurled the first kunai at the masked man and the second towards Kushina.

The Hokage transformed into a golden shimmer, so fast that no human eye could track him. Even a jonin would not have been able to tell what had happened. All they would have seen was a yellow flash and the eye-watering blaze of the rasengan hitting the masked man squarely in the chest. The stench of charred flesh would have then met their senses followed by the dull sound of thick blood slapping the ground. Because not only had Minato used hiraishin to momentarily materialise near Kushina to form his rasengan, but he had then materialised by the second kunai and had used it to skewer his opponent in the gut.

Minato's eyes were frozen as drove the kunai deeper, warm blood trickling down his hand, staining his Hokage robe crimson. Cracks from the impact of the rasengan laced their way down his enemy's mask. Finally it shattered and Minato's eyes dilated.

"Wait a moment…" He breathed. "I recognise you… You're Katsuro, Uchiha Masanori's son."

"K-Konoha… Killed my father…" Katsuro choked as blood dribbled down his chin. It was clear that attempting to activate his mangekyo sharingan had been an error on Katsuro's part. The boy simply hadn't been strong enough as crimson tears traced their way down his cheeks; his eyes bloodshot, the veins bulging in agony.

Katsuro attempted to laugh but it transformed into a gurgling choke. "… At least Konoha will be destroyed…"

There was a sudden deafening roar and burst of chakra so strong that Minato was hurled from his feet and into a tree, the sheer force causing the trunk to snap into two as if it were a mere twig.

Minato's head swam and as he struggled to stand, a terrifying shadow loomed above him. The seal had finally broken.

The kyubi was unleashed and after years of imprisonment he was willing to take out decades of hatred on the nearest thing standing in his way; and that nearest thing just happened to be Konoha.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: ****Just a quick reminder that the first chapter of the CAL was uploaded 27/2/12. Meaning that I had already planned the kyubi's attack before Tobi's identity was released in the manga. Anyway hope you liked the chapter and I'll try not to leave you hanging for too long. Thanks for reading!**


	31. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

10th October 775 – 23:55 PM

Hindsight is a thing that can either sour or crystallise memories. It can cause pain, regret, give you wisdom or even heal wounds. Yet sometimes even a mountain of hindsight cannot cloud certain moments of your life. There are moments so memorable that you can still taste the emotions you felt at the time and even recollect every detail of your surroundings.

All over Konoha so many small and seemingly mundane events were occurring at precisely 23:55 PM on the 10th October. Sarutobi Asuma was out sneaking a cigarette with his older brother. Gekko Hayate had just woken up after having a nightmare about his deceased mother. Far over in the Uchiha compound Uchiha Itachi sat wide-awake with his baby brother, as he wondered when his parents were going to come home.

These events, no matter how small, were forever imprinted on those peoples' minds. It didn't matter how mundane they were, to those citizens of Konoha those events would later symbolise the wonderful normality of an old era that would be forever lost after 10th October.

For Uchiha Obito this was no exception.

"Ok so who'd you think would win a fight," Obito said as they walked through town after Kakashi's celebration meal. "Gamabunta or a giant turtle?"

"You sure there wasn't sake in your juice?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow whilst Rin giggled.

"No seriously who'd you think would win?" Obito grinned. "I was talking to Gai and he reckons the turtle."

"How big a turtle are we talking about?" Kakashi asked.

"Hokage Mountain size," Obito told him.

"Definitely Gamabunta then," Kakashi decided. "Speed wins over power."

"See that's what I said!" Obito said triumphantly.

"Boys," Rin sighed, shaking her head.

"Hey this is a serious conversation," Obito laughed. "Isn't that right, Kakashi?"

"Yep," Kakashi nodded with a deadpan expression. "Obito needs to know in case he ever has to go up against a giant turtle. This is life or death knowledge."

Obito was about to spiel further about giant turtles when suddenly the words died away in his throat. A strange chill prickled over his body and uneasy feeling clenched at his stomach.

Kakashi suddenly stopped walking. "You feel that?" He asked Obito and Rin.

"Yeah…" Obito frowned.

Suddenly a burst of chakra hit them so hard that Obito almost stumbled. The sheer malevolence of the chakra froze his blood.

"It can't be…" Rin breathed as she gazed upwards.

Both Kakashi and Obito followed her gaze to see a monstrous fox blotting the night's sky. The beast was so huge that it was as tall as the Hokage Mountain. Its nine tails flailed and rolled with fury, crimson fur bristling as its teeth was bared with hatred.

Obito's mouth turned dry. For the first time since the war, the old paralysing fear he used to have as a genin returned. He had heard about the legends but never had he imagined a tailed beast to be this terrifying.

"Kushina!" Rin breathed, her eyes wide with fear. Kakashi, who had never found out that Kushina had been the jinchuriki of the kyubi, gave her a confused glance.

The kybui gave a deafening roar, surging forwards. Obito could see smoke and flames rising up from its feet as the eastern quarter of Konoha was flattened. Already screams could be heard in the distance.

"The kyubi?" Obito heard a man cry. "How is that possible?"

"Run!" Someone else yelled. Around them civilians were beginning to panic and they started to flee in terror.

"We need to move," Kakashi said.

"Right," Rin nodded, her face pale. "I need to go to the hospital but-."

The words died in her throat as a sudden explosion erupted far off in the distance.

"The hospital is far too close to the kyubi," Kakashi interrupted. "Head to the caves because that's where the wounded will probably be sent. Obito and I will head over to the hospital and evacuate as many people as we can."

A sudden movement broke through Obito's fear. He gazed down to see Kakashi thrust his hand forwards.

"We'll make it through this," Kakashi said.

Slowly Rin placed her hand on top of Kakashi's. "Team 7," She whispered.

It felt wrong to be doing this without Sensei but Obito followed suit. Forcing himself to smile he said, "See you guys later."

With that Team 7 departed.

* * *

><p>11th October 775 - 0:01 AM<p>

Kakashi's feet flew as Obito and he raced over the rooftops. Acrid smoke filled his senses as they drew closer towards the destruction created by the kyubi.

The problem was Konoha simply had never been prepared for an attack by a tailed beast Unlike Kumo whom had constant problems of their jinchuriki being unable to control the eight-tails, Konoha never had to fear a tailed beast being unleashed. Their jonin were simply not trained to handle the situation. Kakashi had had no idea that Konoha even had a jinchuriki yet where else could the kyubi have materialised from?

But… A small, unsettling feeling nagged at the back of his mind however Kakashi pushed it aside for now.

Chaos surrounded them. Fire began to spread, eating up the buildings at an alarming rate. The colourful, haphazard buildings of the village were proving to be its downfall as the close quarters simply gave fuel to the roaring flames. Desperate ninjas were evacuating civilians while others tore towards the kyubi in the suicidal attempt to protect their village.

Suddenly Kakashi's nostrils twitched as he caught the scent of blood. Then… He heard a faint cry.

"Keep going," Kakashi told Obito. "I've got this."

"Good luck," Obito clapped his friend on the shoulder and he sprinted away.

Kakashi leapt down onto the street below to find a house. He trod through the rubble and his freakish sense of smell led him to a boy.

The boy, who was only around eleven years in age, was white with pain as a huge piece of concrete trapped his foot.

"Ran out of chakra," the boy gasped in agony. "C-couldn't stop the building from crumbling."

"Stay very still," Kakashi, advised him. Gripping his left wrist, Kakashi focused chakra into the palm of his hand until screaming chakra wrought the air.

With blinding speed he slammed chidori into the concrete, instantly smashing it into smithereens.

"Come on," Kakashi said and he pulled the boy onto his back. "Let's get you to safety."

"Thanks," the boy mumbled looking slightly the downcast.

"Don't worry," Kakashi smiled. "I'm sure with a bit more training you could have stopped the building from collapsing."

Using chakra to power his feet, Kakashi sped away. As he hurtled through allies and leapt over debris, the boy asked, "What's happening?"

"The kyubi is attacking Konoha," Kakashi told him. He then glanced over his shoulder at the boy on his back and gave him a smile. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine."

The lie tasted bitter and it was clear that the boy didn't believe him. The sad thing was Kakashi knew that the lie had been partly for himself.

"What's your name?" Kakashi called back to him.

"Tenzo," the boy said.

"Well Tenzo," Kakashi said. "My name's Hatake Kakashi and I'm going to get you to safety."

Even though Kakashi had no idea, he had just inspired hope within Tenzo. Hope that would kindle throughout the terrible night, which would later inspire hero worship for the White Demon.

* * *

><p>11th October 775 – 00:06 AM<p>

"Let me go! Just let me go!"

Asuma could hear those cries reverberating off Cavern B as a small boy was dragged in. Evacuating Konoha was a complicated business. The network of caverns beneath the Hokage Mountain was sectioned so the wounded were separated into a different area and the dead in another. Ninjas were needed to keep civilians calm and to stop any eager academy students from attempting to escape.

"My dad and mum are still out there!" The boy yelled. "Please!"

Asuma frowned. Wait. He recognised that voice.

As soon as Umino Iruka saw his father's student approach he cried, "Asuma! Please!"

"I'll deal with this," Asuma murmured to the jonin who had brought Iruka in. The ninja nodded his thanks and left.

"Asuma," Iruka sniffed, tears were pouring from the nine year old's eyes. "Mum and Dad… They're out there against the fox. I need to the help them."

"And how do you think you'll do that?" Asuma knelt before him. "Iruka, your mum and dad have a duty to protect Konoha. They'd never want you out there fighting. They'd want you safe."

"B-but you don't know that," Iruka sniffed. "Mum… Dad… They're g-going to d-"

"Don't say that," Asuma cut in sharply. "Never say that Iruka."

There was a reason why Asuma had told his father that he would never be cut out for jonin instructor. He simply had no idea how to deal with children. Kurenai was the one who was close to Sensei's son, not him.

For a moment Asuma couldn't help but wonder if his parents were ok. As the Third Hokage his father would be out organising the ninajs and battling against the kyubi. His mother? Asuma knew she was involved in some classified business and he hadn't seen her for days.

He had always had a turbulent relationship with his parents bringing them endless grief with his antics when he was younger. Asuma had constantly fought the expectations everyone held for him as the Hokage's son. It never seemed fair that he had to live in the Third's shadow and it stung even further to see his father favour his older brother over him.

Biwako had always made things more bearable for him. Yes she was forever scolding and nagging him but as Asuma grew older he realised she only did those things because she loved him. Biwako had been the one to collect him from academy, she had seen through most of his training and his mother had also given him his bladed knuckle-dusters as a present when he had been promoted to jonin.

"Come on," Asuma managed a fake smile that seemed to ease Iruka's distress. "Let's go and get the medical team to check you over."

_Mum… Dad… _Asuma thought as he led Iruka away. _Please be ok._

* * *

><p>Meanwhile on the far side of Cavern B sat three children who were also wondering whether their parents were safe.<p>

"It must be a clan meeting," Itachi whispered to Shisui.

"But to go on for this long?" Shisui said incredulously.

Itachi frowned as he rocked Sasuke. Auntie Uruchi who was fast asleep nearby had changed his brother earlier so Sasuke was now sleeping peacefully in his arms, despite the chaos happening above them.

"It must be serious," Itachi frowned. "When we were evacuated there was only old people and kids in the compound."

"For them to schedule a meeting on a night like this," Shisui sighed.

Itachi stared down at his younger brother. He knew his parents had a duty to protect the clan but where were they? Why weren't they rushing back to see if they were safe? It hurt to think that clan duties were more important than Sasuke, Shisui or he.

"I hope Obi-nii is ok," Shisui whispered.

It had been sickening to just sit and helplessly watch as casualties were rushed by into the next cavern. People had been horrifically burned by the fire that was raging outside, others had limbs crushed by falling buildings and some were already dead. Every time a new person was rushed in Itachi's heart would clench as he hoped that it wouldn't be Obito.

"Get him to the medical team now!" A voice yelled.

Itachi's head jerked upwards to see yet another person rushed past on a stretcher. He caught sight of bleeding head and a crushed shoulder; their dark hair congealed with blood.

"Obi-nii!" Shisui leapt to his feet causing Auntie Uruchi to wake.

Obi-nii? Bile rose up in Itachi's throat. That person… It couldn't be-

"Shisui! Itachi!" A voice shouted.

Relief whooshed through Itachi. Immediately a hint of regret bit at him for feeling happy that that poor person hadn't been Obito but it instantly evaporated as their cousin sprinted towards them.

"Thank god you're all ok," Obito panted.

Sasuke stirred in Itachi's arms, gurgling slightly. Mum was right. He really was a good baby.

"Where's Aunt Mikoto?" Obito asked looking around. A frown then crossed their cousin's face.

"She went out with father," Itachi said slowly.

Obito scanned the area, taking in the elderly and the children from the Uchiha clan. "Wait a moment," he said softly. "Where is everyone?"

"Aren't they out fighting against the kyubi?" Shisui asked, his eyes widening.

"No," Obito said softly and his sharingan glowed in the cavern's dim lighting. "They're not. I've been right in the thick of it evacuating people and I haven't seen a single Uchiha."

His eyes then swivelled onto Auntie Uruchi who was avoiding the teenager's gaze. "Where are they?" He asked.

"Really Obito, now is not the time to ask," she told him.

Obito glowered at her for a moment and, for the first time ever, Itachi saw a streak of Fugaku in him. The cheerful, optimistic persona his cousin always carried had vanished. Instead it was replaced by a war-hardened look and Obito's eyes contained a fury so deep that Itachi felt a twinge of fear.

"They're at a meeting aren't they?" Obito whispered, his voice thick with anger.

"Now let's not jump to conclusion," Auntie Uruchi said hurriedly. "I'm sure they're out there helping-."

"Don't _lie_ to me," Obito snapped. "People are dying out there. Our clan should be protecting Konoha or here protecting their family. Why aren't they here?"

"Calm down," Auntie Uruchi hissed as Sasuke woke up and began to cry.

"Don't _fucking_ tell me to calm down," Obito spat. "Where are the clan?"

Itachi rocked Sasuke while Shisui simply stared at his cousin in shock. Never before had someone questioned the clan's intentions like this yet Itachi couldn't help but think that his cousin was right.

"Uchiha Obito," Aunti Uruchi stood. "Now you just listen-"

"Is everything ok here?" Itachi glanced upwards to see Sarutobi Asuma appear behind Obito.

For one horrible moment Itachi thought Obito was going to inform Asuma of the clan's disappearance. Then... Obito's anger faded and he shook his head. "Yeah everything's fine," he told Asuma.

Asuma frowned but didn't question it. "We're needed in Cavern D," he told Obito. "Captain Yuhi is organising a meeting."

"Really?" Obito raised an eyebrow.

"Don't really know what he's planning," Asuma shrugged. "But he's gathering everyone who's roundabout our age. The Third's orders apparently."

Obito nodded. Giving Shisui and Itachi a sad look he murmured, "See you later." Then Asuma and he strode away.

Shisui sighed and muttered, "What a mess."

Itachi couldn't help but agree. Slow dread tugged at his stomach but Itachi ignored it. Instead he gazed down at Sasuke who was crying and he whispered, "Don't cry Sasuke, your big brother is here to protect you… No matter what."

Miraculously, Sasuke fell into a soft gurgling quiet. Itachi sighed, wishing that someone from his clan could say that to Obito.

* * *

><p>11th October 775 – 00:13 AM<p>

Cavern D was buzzing with confused ninjas by the time Rin entered the cave. Their voices bounced off the walls and she found herself disorientated by the noise as she pushed past people the effort to find Kakashi and Obito.

Finally she caught sight of Obito's gangly figure and Kakashi's silver hair. An exhausted smile pulled at her lips as she hurried over. "You're ok," she said to them. "I was so worried."

"How's it going?" Obito asked.

"Not good," Rin shook her head. "We have too few medics and we're running out of room in Cavern E."

She wiped her hands on her apron, which was saturated with blood. The stench of offal and death from the cavern caused her head to pound. Rin was thankful that she had experience from the war however. Poor Hyuga Ko who only knew basic first aid had been dragged in to help and had almost thrown up when he had assisted Rin during an amputation.

Rin gazed around, catching Kurenai's eye from across the cave and giving her a wave. It was strange how everyone from their generation had been ordered to meet here. Gai was sitting in the corner with Ko and Ebisu. Someone from the Inuzuka clan who was in the year above them sat nearby with their huge wolfhound.

Everyone was here except-

"Where's Aoba?" Rin asked.

Kakashi shrugged and Obito said, "Haven't seen him."

A worried frown creased Rin's forehead. She spotted Raido and Genma who were standing nearby. "Hey Raido," She called. "Have you seen Aoba?"

"I'd thought you'd know," Raido's face fell.

"What'd you mean?" Rin asked as the two boys joined them.

"We couldn't find him," Genma told her. The usually arrogant boy was so worried that he had managed to chew his senbon to splinters.

"Shit you don't think-" Obito started but was cut off by a sharp elbow from Kakashi.

"He'll be ok," Raido told Rin. "I mean yeah the guy can be an idiot but he'll be ok. I know he will."

It was clear that Raido was saying this as more of a reassurance to himself than anything else. Rin ran a hand through her hair but before she could worry any further, Captain Yuhi had appeared at the front of the crowd.

"Silence!" He barked and instantly everyone fell quiet. "Now it's obvious that you're wondering why you've all been assembled here."

Various people nodded in ascent. Rin constantly scanned the crowd for her boyfriend as sick worry clawed at her. If he had gone home then he would have been on the opposite side from where the kyubi had struck. So why wasn't he here?

"The Third has ordered that everyone in this cavern is forbidden to fight against the kyubi," Yuhi Hisao announced.

Instantly the cavern erupted.

"What?" Obito yelled.

"That's ridiculous," Raido said and Genma spat out his senbon in anger.

"Father!" Rin heard Kurenai yell. "This isn't fair. How come we're sent to war but we're not even allowed to protect our own village?"

"Good point," Obito muttered darkly while Raido and Genma nodded in agreement.

Captain Yuhi stared at his daughter for a moment. He then cast a gaze around the cavern. "All of you in this cavern possess the Will of Fire," he told them. "You need to live as long as possible so you can pass that Will on to your children. As this is an internal village affair we need to protect the next generation as you will be the ones who will grow up and carry on Konoha's legacy."

With that Captain Yuhi spun on his heel and left the cavern to continue fighting the kyubi.

The cavern fell silent. Kakashi stared at his sandals while Genma and Raido bowed their heads in respect. Rin knew the importance of the Third's decision yet all she could think about was finding Aoba.

Suddenly she jumped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Obito give her an understanding smile. "Chin up Rin," he whispered. "Aoba's a good guy and a great ninja… He'll be ok."

"I really hope so, Obito," Rin breathed back as she anxiously chewed her lip. "I really hope so."

* * *

><p>11th October 775 – 00:31 AM<p>

At exactly 00:21 hours the kyubi vanished from Konoha and left a deathly silence in its wake.

Ten minutes later the younger generation was given the clear and were split off into various teams. Rin was sent to continue helping the wounded while Obito had been informed that he was to stay in the caverns with Asuma, as they were to help the civilians leave the caves.

Kakashi felt as if he were walking through a surreal nightmare as he walked through the desolated streets of Konoha. Stepping over rubble he realised that he was walking through what only hours ago had been the centre of town. Konoha's once majestic oak had been demolished; it's ancient glory now mere shrapnel.

Tearing his eyes from the fallen tree Kakashi continued on his way towards where the kyubi's attack had been at its worst. His task was to search for survivors but so far Kakashi had not found a single person. The village had been reduced to a forsaken ruin, all of its warm life sapped away by the kyubi's hatred.

It didn't take long for Kakashi to reach what used to be the eastern quarter. Streets were transformed into unrecognisable piles of rubble. A sea of debris lay beneath Kakashi's feet in one crumbling grave yet faint glimmers of Konoha's old life called out to him. A broken fridge yawned at him with its door barely hanging by its hinges. Torn curtains flapped in the as they were trapped beneath rock and a lost teddy bear peered at Kakashi from a sea of shattered glass.

It would be impossible to find anyone. Even with his senses Kakashi was detecting so many conflicting scents: ash, blood, charred rock and the remnant smell of the kyubi.

Picking up a piece of glass from the ground, Kakashi nicked his thumb and performing several seals he muttered, "Summoning technique."

In a puff of smoke Kakashi's faithful pack appeared. For the first time Kakashi's summons were shocked into silence as they drank in their surroundings.

Finally Pakkun spoke. "What… Happened?" He breathed.

"The kyubi," Kakashi said simply. "I want each of you to find any ninjas and help them search for survivors. Pakkun stay with me."

The dogs nodded and dispersed.

Pakkun glanced up at Kakashi and said, "You ok?"

"What do you think?" Kakashi whispered as he stared at the rubble.

Pakkun nodded and began to sniff the air. As they walked further into the destruction Kakashi's summon ran ahead. Hope sprang in Kakashi's chest and he followed, leaping over concrete. Then he skidded to a halt and the hope withered away.

"We're too late for this one," Pakkun whispered, bowing his head in respect.

Kakashi stared at the dead chunin wondering when exactly in life had he become used to seeing corpses. Numbness seeped into his bones and he became acutely aware of the wind caressing his skin. Was this really the world he lived in? Barely sixteen, he had lost count of the amount of people he had killed and the amount of dead bodies he had seen.

Worst of all, Kakashi recognised the man. He had been one of Captain Yuhi's men. The ninja had clearly been killed by the kyubi: his chest caved in and his neck snapped from the impact. Yet his eyes were wide open, the irises misted with death.

Kakashi bent down and closed the ninja's eyes. "May the tides of Whirlpool bring you sweet dreams," he whispered.

Kakashi straightened to see that Pakkun had already ran ahead. With one last long look at the dead ninja, he followed his summon.

"Kakashi!" Pakkun yelled. "I've found someone!"

He sprinted over to Pakkun's side and suddenly his eyes dilated with horror.

"Captain Yuhi!" He cried and dropped to the man's side.

Yuhi Hisao was clearly another victim of the kyubi. Blood was pouring sluggishly from a horrific head wound and the stench of offal almost made Kakashi retch. Although Rin had taught him basic first aid the wound was years beyond Kakashi's skills. For the first time in his life he found that his intellect was unable to find him an answer. He couldn't save Hisao.

"Pakkun get help," Kakashi said.

"Got it," the dog nodded and he raced away.

"Hisao-san, can you hear me?" Kakashi asked. He couldn't even staunch the blood flow in fear that it would damage part of Hisao's brain as a section of his skull was missing.

Slowly Hisao dragged open his eyes, the pupils unfocused and unseeing.

"Risa?" He croaked. "Is that you?"

"Risa?" Kakashi repeated in confusion. Wasn't that a woman's name? "No it's me, Kakashi."

"Do you remember that day we spent together by the Naka River?" Hisao breathed. "I had it all planned… But it started raining… A-and you refused to take my jacket and caught the flu a few days later… You were so stubborn… I laughed at you… The girl from Water Country who caught a cold from the rain… You were so beautiful back then… Risa."

Kakashi stared at Hisao in agony knowing that the man he had looked up to was already gone. All he could was sit by his side and listen to man mumble about lost memories.

"I'm not Risa," Kakashi tried one last time. "It's me, Kakashi, Sakumo's son."

"S-Sakumo?" Hisao eyes flickered and instantly his peaceful expression vanished. "Get that goddamn mop cut. You're starting to look like a bandit with the hair and the mask… People are going to start thinking that Jiraiya is the White Fang."

Kakashi's eyes dilated with shock. What could he do? Humour a dying man? Was that even right? But… What else could he do?

"Jiraiya probably used my name a long time ago to sneak into the hot springs," Kakashi said, pretending to be his father and his forced smile turned into a twisted grimace.

Hisao didn't notice instead he gave dry chuckle and murmured, "True… I'm s-sorry I blamed you… You were a good man… No wonder, no wonder-"

His words were suddenly cut off as a cough wracked its way through his body. Blood sprayed onto Kakashi's face but the White Fang's son didn't even blink. He was too choked up with sorrow to care.

Then… Hisao's eyes cleared and he blinked. "Kakashi?" He whispered.

Kakashi jumped. "Hisao-san?" He said in shock.

"The debt," Hisao gasped and he grasped Kakashi's hand. "The debt…"

Debt? Kakashi then remembered that he still owed Captain Yuhi his life. "I'm sorry," he breathed and his eyes stung. "I'm sorry I couldn't-"

"Your face," Hisao gripped Kakashi's hand so hard that his eyes watered. "Let me see your face."

His face? Kakashi hesitated. His father had taught him to only reveal his face to family and as much as he admired Hisao he surely couldn't…

"Please," Hisao began to gag on his own blood. "Please."

The sheer desperation in Captain Yuhi's eyes tore at Kakashi. Then again… Hadn't his father taught him that compassion was far more important that the rules? Slowly, using his free hand, Kakashi peeled down his mask.

The desperation faded and a serene look glazed Hisao's eyes as he slipped back into the past. With a final, sad sigh he breathed, "It was always you… It was… Always you… Risa…"

Kakashi slumped back as the grip on his hand faded. Hisao was dead.

His mind refused to take in what had just happened. Washed out and bleached by shock, all he could was stare at Hisao's body.

"Kakashi!" A voice out of tune and unfocused attempted to reach him. Kakashi was barely aware as Raido and two other jonin clattered over the debris.

Wrenching himself away, Kakashi pulled up his mask and stood. Now was not the time to collapse into a puddle of grief. That was for another day. No… There were still lives out there to be saved.

"It's too late," Kakashi, said softly, his voice sounding strangely croaky.

Sakumo… Gekko Miyako… Captain Yuhi… Too many people in his life had died. Yet not all of them were dead.

Kakashi curled his hands into fists. Kushina. Minato. His quick mind had worked it all out earlier. The reason why Kushina never got sick. Why she had monthly check-ups, why there was so much secrecy behind her pregnancy and why Rin had been so worried about her earlier. If the kyubi was gone then that meant that Minato and Kushina had successfully resealed the tailed best… Right?

It was a tiny hope, a faint glimmer, but it was all Kakashi had. He clung to it like a dying man. Hoping and praying that Minato and Kushina were still alive.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I've always been terrible at expressing appreciation and to tell you the truth I've never been bothered about review counts but I'm just going to mention now that I'm proud of the niche following CAL has. So thanks so much to the people who've reviewed, followed, C2'd and faved this fic! Honestly, you guys are awesome.**

**Next chapter will be the last of CAL.**


	32. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

A legend: a tale or story that is of a supposed historical origin that has never been authenticated.

Sarutobi Hiruzen knew that there were tales about him. They varied from the vaguely true to the plain ridiculous. Third Hokage, The Professor, The God of Ninja, he had been known as the chimp during his academy days and monkey to his friends. Yet what did these titles actually say about him? When he was long dead would anyone remember that his favourite food was hijiki or that he suffered from hay-fever every spring? The sound of his laughter would be forever forgotten, the legends would never tell the story of how he cried on the first day of academy and no one would remember the story of how he first met Biwako.

Legends really did immortalise your memory but that was the problem. Your mortality would be forever forgotten.

Hiruzen fought back the pain as the image of Biwako's dead body surfaced in his mind. He squeezed his eyes shut, fighting the grief that tried to consume him. Each day was filled with indescribable agony. Sometimes he still woke thinking that Biwako was by his side. The worst time had been when he had asked Asuma to tell his mother that he would be late for dinner.

Asuma… Never before had Hiruzen been so worried about his youngest son. Parents were never supposed to have favourites but it had always been the case that he had been closest to their eldest, Tamotsu, while Biwako had been close to Asuma. The boy barely talked to him anymore and even avoided Tamotsu. All ninjas were supposed to be prepared for the death of a loved one but Asuma was taking his mother's death incredibly hard.

Hiruzen sighed and ran a hand down his weary face. These were incredibly hard times for Konoha. Namikaze Minato, the man who had given Konoha it's golden era, was dead. It was as if the sun had been stolen from the sky. He had lived the life of a hero and had to die a hero's death. It should have been Hiruzen who had died but as usual he was too late. He had been late trying to save his student Orochimaru and he had been too late trying to save Minato.

The Third cast a look out of the window and the cloud shrouded sky. He was not looking forward to Minato's memorial tomorrow. He stared back down at the huge mountain of papers that were piled up on his desk.

The village was crippled with thousands of its citizens killed. Ninjas had to step up to new positions and assume greater responsibilities. Take Hatake Kakashi for instance. The treaty with Kumo was still a fragile one and the Third knew that it was of the utmost importance to maintain it. Shikaku luckily was there to help Kakashi but it was the White Fang's son who had been coordinating communications with Kumo. With the boy's efforts, for the first time in history, Kumo was offering Konoha aid. It was a monumental achievement for any ninja, let alone for a sixteen-year-old boy.

"Hokage-sama?" A soft voice called.

The Third glanced up from his desk to see none other than the boy himself emerge from the shadows. It was unnerving to see Kakashi move in the exact same way his mother had. The boy had grown up so much since that fateful day Hiruzen had assigned him to Orochimaru's outpost. Every day he grew more and more like his father that there were times Hiruzen mistook Kakashi for the White Fang.

Yet… Kakashi was more like his mother that people gave him credit for. It pained Hiruzen that Sakumo was remembered but his beautiful, mysterious wife was forgotten. However… There was one person who had never forgotten her…

_"It would be good for you to tutor him," The Third said._

_ Yuhi Hisao turned and raised an eyebrow. "I thought the Hatake boy already had a tutor," he said gruffly. "Namikaze Minato."_

_ "Minato is talented at many things," Hiruzen agreed. "However swordsmanship he is not. Someone with your skills could help Kakashi."_

_ Hisao scowled. "No," he said bluntly. "I'm sorry Hokage-sama but there are much better tutors than me out there. Gekko Miyako for instance. I'm sorry but I simply can't do this."_

_ With that Hisao turned on his heel and walked out of the office. Just as Hisao reached the door Hiruzen suddenly called, "He's a lot more like her than you think."_

_ Hisao froze._

_ The Third continued, "I've met the boy. He's reserved like his mother, shares her love for books and aubergine soup." He then chuckled, "Kakashi has the same stubborn streak too and Hisao… He looks so much like her, you know, without the mask."_

_ "Don't," Hisao said softly. "Please don't talk about her. She's dead… Don't talk as if she lives on… I want nothing to do with the White Fang's son."_

It had appeared that Yuhi Hisao hadn't been able to resist. After all the Third had a suspicion that it had been Hisao who had pushed Gekko Miyako into tutoring Kakashi. The man had also reported Orochimaru's suspicious actions towards Kakashi and had protected the White Fang's son as much as possible.

Captain Yuhi had been a good man and great ninja who had unfortunately led a tragic life. He had married a woman who he had never loved and had watched the only woman he had loved marry his friend. No wonder his wife had left him for a merchant a decade ago. Poor Kurenai had to grow up with a bitter father and a broken family. It had broken Hiruzen's heart to see the girl crying with grief when she had been informed of her father's death.

"Aid from Kumo has arrived," Kakashi informed the Third. "We have enough supplies to last the refugees for months."

"Excellent," Hiruzen nodded.

There was a tenuous pause and the Third knew what was coming.

Kakashi gazed at him with deadened eyes and said slowly, "I know that this is not my place to say but-"

"You are wondering what will happen to Naruto," Hiruzen finished.

"With all due respects, Hokage-sama, I know that it's best to keep the information of the jinchuriki safe but you can't just _condemn_ Naruto into a lifetime of ignorance," Kakashi said and Hiruzen could sense anger in the boy's voice.

"What would you have me do, Kakashi?" The Third asked and he suddenly felt very old. It wasn't right for him to assume the position of Hokage again but with Jiraiya off grieving what else could he do?

It was lucky he had the council and Danzo by his side. Hiruzen knew the dangers of placing his trust in Danzo yet he was without options. He was without a successor and Konoha needed people there to protect it.

A deal had been cut between the Third and Danzo. Danzo would not interfere with the future of Konoha's third jinchuriki however he would aid Hiruzen with the mystery of how the kyubi escaped. Unfortunately all fingers were now pointed at the Uchiha clan due to their noticeable absence during the attack.

The Third hated to admit but he had a feeling that Danzo's suspicions were correct. An Uchiha most certainly had to have been involved with the kyubi attack. What else could they do? However a dark feeling had settled at the back of his mind as he recalled Uchiha Fugaku's face when the council had questioned him. Forcing the Uchiha clan to be segregated from the village… Was that really the answer?

"Minato had many enemies," Hiruzen said softly as he turned his thoughts back to Naruto. "If knowledge gets out that his son not only survived the kyubi attack but also is the container himself then what do you think will happen? No… Naruto must live the life of an orphan. He'll remain inconspicuous that way."

"Then Konoha will simply repeat the same mistake," Kakashi hissed. Something had clearly broken inside the boy. It was no surprise considering how close he had been to Minato and Kushina. "The reason so many people died was because the village had no idea how to handle an attack by a tailed beast. People need to be aware of the kyubi's existence within the village."

"You might as well draw a target on the boy," Hiruzen's patience snapped. "No one will understand the pain the boy has to go through. They will only see the kyubi inside him."

Kakashi fell silent and looked away. The Third slumped back in his chair and ran a hand down his face. Finally Kakashi said, "In Kumo jinchuriki are seen as heroes, you know."

The Third looks up at him and frowned. "Go on," he said slowly.

"From a young age every child in Kumo is taught about the tailed beasts and why the village needs them," Kakashi told him. "I learnt about it when I went through their academy training. People are educated about jinchuriki. Yes it's true that there are still people who hold resentment against them. B and Yugito both had a hard time growing up… But because people have that understanding and the jinchuriki are given special training from a young age they grow up as heroes within the village."

Hiruzen was struck by Kakashi's logic. It really did make sense. He was so use to shrouding the jinchuriki in protective secrecy that he had never realised that there were some benefits of everyone knowing the kyubi's existence within the boy. He had always thought that ignorance was the best option for Naruto and his peers. After all ignorance would give Naruto a chance at living a normal childhood… But how could a child possibly live a normal childhood when they were orphaned from birth?

Naruto would never have the childhood that Kushina and Minato had dreamed of. Yet Kakashi was offering him the next best thing.

"I'll talk to the council," Hiruzen finally said and tension eased away from Kakashi's shoulders. "However you do understand that it's safest for Naruto to remain an orphan?"

Kakashi nodded and said, "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

"You may leave," Hiruzen smiled.

Just before Kakashi was about to leave the office Hiruzen suddenly called, "Kakashi!"

Kakashi turned and looked at the Hokage.

A faint nostalgic smile tugged at Hiruzen lips and he said, "Sakumo and Risa… They really would be proud to have you as their son."

* * *

><p>Obito's eyes stung from exhaustion as he wearily trod over the bridge that curved across the Naka River. For a moment he paused, staring at the mesmerising water. The river flashed, containing so many colours within its depths, yet this time Obito didn't notice the beauty of the water. No… He was far too preoccupied with the Uchiha clan.<p>

A week and a half had passed since the 10th October. As soon as Obito had caught wind of the fact that Mikoto and Fugaku were fine, he had procrastinated and had avoided the inevitable meeting with them. That was the sad truth. He still held that childhood wish to please Fugaku.

Hot determination burned through Obito's body and he suddenly slammed a fist into the railings of the bridge. The wood splintered and the railing buckled beneath Obito's anger. This time Fugaku would not get the better of him and, more importantly, this time Obito would not be a coward.

With his sore eyes full of purpose, Obito strode into the Uchiha compound. The usually serene compound was full of activity. People were rushing around packing crates whilst others were loading up carts.

Obito froze as he drank in the scene. "Hey Auntie Uruchi!" He called spotting the Uchiha clan's favourite baker. "What's going on?"

The old woman rubbed her back as she looked up from the crate she'd been packing. "Ah Obito," she said, frowning a little. "Haven't you heard?"

"Heard what?" Obito gave her a bemused look. He walked over, easily lifting the crate into a cart for Auntie Uruchi.

"The clan is moving," she told him. "We have a new site further down the Naka River on the outskirts of the village."

"What?" Obito spluttered. "The whole clan? Just… What?"

What would possess Fugaku to move the entire clan to the very outskirts of Konoha? Why would they move from ancient site that has belonged to their clan since the village was established? The very thought was incomprehensible to Obito. Was this what the meeting had been all about?

"Need anymore help?" Obito asked.

Auntie Uruchi shook her head. "That's about it," she told him. The old woman sighed. "I'll be sad to leave this place…"

Obito gave her a consoling pat on the shoulder and said, "At least everyone will be together."

The words rung in Obito's ears as he left Auntie Uruchi to finish her packing. With the clan on the outskirts of the village it would only further the segregation that was already happening. Was that what Fugaku wanted? Did he really want history to repeat itself?

Obito began to walk faster as he made his way to Mikoto and Fugaku's house. Immediately he was struck by how chaotic the place was with boxes everywhere and random objects lying upon the floor. Stepping over a box full of crockery, Obito entered the house.

A strange ache filled his chest as he gazed around the house that he had spent most of his childhood in. So many unanswered questions swam around in his mind. Mikoto loved this house. Surely she wouldn't just let Fugaku do this…

"Obi-nii!" A voice called.

Obito blinked as Shisui suddenly materialised from seemingly nowhere. It unnerved him slightly that his cousin had already mastered the body flicker technique to such a flawless extent.

"Where've you been?" Shisui said and there was hurt written all over his face. "Aunt Mikoto's been pretty upset that you haven't visited since the kyubi attack… And I had to do all the packing by myself."

"Yeah that's just it," Obito frowned. "Why is everyone packing?"

"Not sure," Shisui shrugged. "But it was so last minute. Uncle Fugaku announced it two days ago. We have to be out by tonight apparently."

Obito scratched the back of his head. With the kyubi attack and the mysterious meeting, this surely couldn't be a coincidence.

"Obito!" Obito spun around to see Aunt Mikoto approach him. Tears filled his Aunt's eyes and she smiled, "It's so good to see you… I was so worried-"

"That's enough Mikoto," a sharp voice cut in.

Fugaku emerged from the shadows and he glowered at his nephew. Obito simply stared straight back, mouth set and unsmiling.

"Where've you been?" Fugaku asked him.

"I was about to ask you the same question," Obito responded coolly.

Fugaku stared at him for a moment and Obito's eyes watered. All he could do was fight the urge to pull his goggles down and hide from his uncle. Instead he pulled his goggles past his face so they hung loosely around his neck.

"Shisui go help Itachi," Mikoto said softly. Shisui nodded and slipped away. Obito knew that Shisui would probably hide and listen in on the conversation with Itachi, yet at that point, he didn't care. Years of resentment and fighting clan expectations were rising up within him.

"Where were you?" Obito narrowed his eyes.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Fugaku raised an eyebrow.

"I think what Fugaku means is that we've been incredibly worried about you," Mikoto smoothly interjected. "I mean it's been a week and a half since the kyubi attack. Why didn't you come and see us?"

Obito felt a twinge of guilt seeing the hurt in his aunt's eyes but he pushed it away. Whenever Fugaku argued with Obito, Mikoto would always stand meekly by.

"You have a duty to be with your clan," Fugaku told him.

A burst of bitter laughter ripped its way from Obito's mouth. "A duty?" He said incredulously. "My duty is to work for the Hokage, my duty is to protect Konoha. That's your duty too."

"You know nothing," Fugaku's voice dropped to a dangerous level. "So don't talk about duty."

"Yes. I. Will," Obito ground his teeth. All his friends began to surface to his mind. Kakashi was battling through his grief as he was given the post of ambassador to Kumo. Rin was working tirelessly as she healed the wounded. Asuma was out there organising clearance of the rubble just days after his mother's funeral. Everyone was doing their bit for the village. Everyone that is, except the Uchiha clan.

"I was out there protecting people and helping them to safety during the attack," Obito snarled. "I've been working hard with the recovery effort. So why haven't I seen a single Uchiha out there helping?"

"Like I said you know nothing," Fugaku glowered at him.

"The fuck I do," Obito spat.

"There are many things that are going on with the higher ups that you do not understand," Fugaku repeated.

"But let me guess you can't tell me because it's classified?" Obito sneered. "Or wait is it because I don't have the sharingan?"

Fugaku fell silent and that was all Obito needed. He let out an incredulous laugh and said, "I knew it. That's all that matters to you, isn't it? It's all about the sharingan. Never mind the fact that I'm a jonin. You just can't accept someone without a bloodline limit."

Obito stared Fugaku straight in the eye and said, "But you know what? I don't give a _fuck_ about the sharingan. One day I'm going to Hokage and prove to you that it's possible to make your own way without a bloodline limit."

"You are so naive," Fugaku said darkly.

"Maybe," Obito shrugged. "But what I do know is that you should have been there protecting your village and most of all protecting your _family_. Or let me guess clan duty is more important that that?"

Mikoto moved so fast that even Obito didn't see it coming. A stinging pain met his cheek and Obito had to blink away tears. Suddenly his eyes dilated as he gazed at his aunt. Mikoto stood in front of him, her hand raised and her chest heaving with emotion.

"Don't you ever say that," she whispered. "Fugaku and I love you, Sasuke, Itachi and Shisui. So don't you _dare_ say that. It's true that the relationship between the clan and Konoha is incredibly complicated however you must understand that we'll always love you."

Obito's walls came crumbling down as he touched his cheek. Mikoto, his only ally in the clan, had finally chosen her side and that was with Fugaku. Obito knew that it was always going to be this way but it still hurt.

"There are so many things that you do not understand," Mikoto repeated the same line that Fugaku had been saying. "So, gods, would you just give us a chance? We're doing our best to keep this family safe."

"I don't think I can," Obito said softly and he reached up to touch the clan symbol that was sewn on the sleeve of his shirt. In one smooth movement he tore the patch from his sleeve. Mikoto gasped and even Fugaku appeared stunned.

"I used to think that the Uchiha clan was the greatest clan," Obito stared at the patch and he let it slip from his fingers. The three of them stared as it fluttered to the floor. "But now I can see that you're nothing…"

It would only be years later, whenever Obito looked at Sasuke, that he would recall certain things that he had never noticed at the time on that fateful day. Obito was far too choked up with emotion to hear Fugaku breathe the name of his father. It would be years before he would realise how regretful his uncle looked and how, at that very moment, Mikoto's heart was breaking.

That was the tragedy of hindsight.

Right now though, Obito's mind was far too fogged up to notice anything. A single tear escaped from Obito's eyes, running down his face until it slipped away. His faith in the clan had withered away until a feeling of disdain had taken its place. Turning away from his aunt and uncle, Obito walked away.

"Obito!" Mikoto yelled and a sob caused her voice to crack. "We love you... Please! I'm sorry… Don't leave!"

She reached out to touch his shoulder but Obito shook her off. Fugaku was simply frozen. All he could do was stare at Obito as his nephew walked out of the house.

As he left the house, Obito drew in a deep reassuring breath of air. His head was spinning, stomach churning with heartache. He wanted scream, shout, hit something or run until he collapsed from exhaustion.

Was this the best idea?

Probably not.

Did he know where he would go?

No.

Did he have a plan or even an inkling as to what he'd do next?

Don't be ridiculous.

"Obito!" A voice shouted. Obito turned to see Shisui and Itachi race out of the house.

A look of panic was all over the boys' faces as they stared at him in horror. "You can't be leaving?" Shisui said. "This has got to be some kind of joke… Right?"

Obito turned and he knelt before Itachi and Shisui. "I'm not leaving," he sighed. "I'll still be in Konoha… I just won't be living with the clan anymore. I'll collect all of my stuff and move out."

"So you are leaving," Shisui threw him a look a disgusted look. "You're abandoning us."

Obito sighed and he placed a hand on top of Shisui and Itachi's heads. "I would never abandon you," he told them. "But… I just can't be here anymore…"

Suddenly a grin flashed its way across his face, taking the younger boys by surprise. "Someday," Obito whispered to them. "I will need your help to rescue the clan… I'll need you to help me from the inside… So promise me that you'll be there?"

Slowly Shisui and Itachi nodded. Obito smiled ruffling their hair and he straightened. "I'll see you around," he grinned. "You can't get away from me that easily. Shisui keep practicing that body flicker technique. I want you to be able to beat me next time we race each other. Tach' keep working on your kunai skills ok?"

With small salute Obito strode away, leaving the Uchiha clan behind.

Would he ever be Hokage?

Obito looked up at the sky and smiled. That was one question he knew the answer to.

* * *

><p>As a member abandoned their family forever, all over Konoha others were being reunited. Families, lovers and friends drew together as they fought through the misery and destruction that the kyubi had left behind.<p>

As a medic Rin got to observe so many of these reunions and it was these reunions that kept her going. Every time a mother found her child Rin was reminded that the warmth Konoha used to have was still alive. However… There was still one person who Rin had yet to be reunited with.

The recovery effort was in full swing with refugee stations set up in the academy and caverns for people whose homes had been destroyed. At least in the war Rin actually had medical supplies. With the hospital destroyed all she had was a few bandages, ointments and a couple of tents to tend to the eight hundred who were wounded. Luckily with aid arriving from Kumo yesterday things had eased up a little but Rin was still working non-stop.

In a strange way Rin was thankful for all the work. Though she was exhausted every night the recovery effort distracted her from her grief. Yet… With the Fourth Hokage's memorial fast approaching tomorrow the careful barriers Rin had constructed around her emotions were threatening to burst. What else could she do but keep going and swallow the agony that was threatening to overwhelm her?

"Rin?" Hyuga Ko peered through the flap of the medical tent. "Someone to see you."

"Got it," Rin nodded with a weary sigh. Her gaze returned to the surgical instruments she had been cleaning.

"Rin?" A soft voice called.

Rin's eyes widened and instantly her weariness dissipated. The scalpel she had been holding clattered to the ground and she spun around.

"Aoba?" She breathed. A sob escaped from her lips and Rin threw herself at him. Every night Rin had lay awake wondering if Aoba was alive and every day she had listened out for any news of him. Now as he stood before her, bandaged and bruised. Rin felt as if she were in a dream.

"You're alive," she whispered as tears trailed down her cheeks. "I was so scared… I…"

Suddenly the words trailed away as Rin realised something was wrong. Aoba was not hugging her back. He just stood there awkwardly and when Rin moved away he simply avoided her gaze.

"I'm… Sorry I didn't come and find you sooner," he said. "I just… Had some things I needed to sort out…"

Rin gave him a concerned look and asked, "What's wrong Aoba?"

"What's wrong?" Aoba gave a bitter laugh. "I'll tell you what's wrong. Inoichi's dead."

Seeing Rin's stunned face Aoba nodded and said heavily, "That goddamn _idiot_ saved my life."

Aoba ran an agitated hand through his hair and it suddenly dawned on Rin what was so strange about his appearance. Aoba's sunglasses were missing. He looked so vulnerable without them, emotions laid bare and Rin could see that he was barely holding it together.

She couldn't help herself. Rin reached out to embrace him but Aoba jerked back. "Aoba?" Rin whispered, her eyes shining with tears.

"Riko-san is dead too," Aoba told her.

The news that Inoichi's wife was dead to hit Rin so hard that a gasp escaped from her mouth. It all made sense seeing as the Yamanaka compound was on the edge of the eastern quarter but for this to happen…

"What about Ino?" Rin breathed. "Sh-she's not-"

"She's alive," Aoba whispered. "Riko protected her when the building collapsed."

A whoosh of relief escaped from Rin's lips. She then asked, "What's going to happen to her?"

A faraway look appeared on Aoba face and he said softly, "Well Inoichi… Well he made me godfather. Apparently he was going to tell me when I turned eighteen but of course that idiot forgot…"

"You surely can't mean…" Rin trailed off. "I mean, Aoba, you're _eighteen_."

"I know," Aoba nodded. "Believe me I know and I've talked to the Hokage about it but… I _need_ to do this. For Inoichi."

"But you have no idea how to raise a baby!" Rin cried. "C'mon Aoba surely Ino has relatives? I'm sure Shikaku or Choza-"

"You think I haven't thought about this?" Aoba snapped. "I've talked to the remaining members of the Yamanaka clan. I'll live with Inoichi's grandmother who will help me raise her. The Hokage has agreed and Shikaku and Choza will also help."

Seeing Rin's incredulous face Aoba whispered, "I have to do this… I _want_ to do this. I mean I'm scared shitless but… What else can I do? Most of the Yamanaka clan are dead."

Rin fell silent. It was so hard to take in that her head was spinning. Kushina and Minato were dead. Kakashi was out with Shikaku organising treaties with Kumo. Now Aoba was apparently going to raise Ino. Rin's generation was stepping up to take the place of the old yet she was struggling to keep up. It had only seemed to be yesterday when she had been assigned to Team 7.

She could see that Aoba was terrified of the future yawning in front of him. Rin took a step forwards but Aoba backed away again.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Rin… I just can't."

Aoba reached into his flak jacket pocket and pull out something. He threw it to Rin who caught it with ease.

Opening her palm, Rin's eyes dilated. It was the shell that Obito had given her for her thirteenth birthday. The shell from Rin's favourite necklace, the thing that she had been looking for before the kyubi had attacked.

"I found it near the hospital right before the kyubi appeared," Aoba said in a deadened voice. He then spun on his heel and left the tent.

Rin stumbled slightly as she ran after him. "Aoba wait!" She cried as she burst of the tent. "I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry! Please!"

Aoba glanced back at her and Rin saw tears trailing down his cheeks. "So am I," he whispered.

Rin found herself frozen to the spot. All she could was watch as Aoba walked out of her life.

* * *

><p>The morning of Anko's fifteenth birthday was a wretched one. Dark clouds marred the sky and the heavens cried rain so torrential that it drowned the streets. The drains beneath her feet thundered with water, bubbling away as they struggled to fight against the downpour.<p>

Anko clung to her umbrella as she weaved in and out of people who were trailing to the Hokage tower. Water splashed over her boots and sprayed onto her mesh stockings. It had taken almost two weeks for the higher ups to organise the Fourth's memorial. Finally the date had been set and today on the 24th October the late Hokage's memorial was to take place outside the tower. Perhaps even the gods were mourning the loss of the Golden Hokage as the weather was so miserably apt.

Anko gazed around her. Countless people of people were wailing and clinging to each other. Hundreds of flowers and offerings were being placed in front of the tower.

3,000 people. 3,000 lives extinguished in one night.

Their names were being currently engraved on a huge memorial that was to be erected near Konoha's Cemetery. That memorial had already taken place as the Third had stood and read the thousands of names. The horrible thing was that the death toll was growing higher as people were still moving the rubble in the eastern quarter. Today's service, however, was solely in remembrance of the Fourth Hokage.

It seemed that the whole of Konoha had turned up yet Anko couldn't help but wonder how many of them had actually known Namikaze Minato. She had only met the man when she had been given missions. No… Anko was here for another person. As someone who kept mainly to herself, Anko didn't like many people. However Kushina had been one of the few people who had understood her. The two had shared an understanding so deep that not even Rin could comprehend it.

After Orochimaru had abandoned her, Anko had sunk into a pit of depression. Every night she woke up screaming from horrific nightmares and even in the day she was haunted by her sensei's yellow eyes. Bags of sleep deprivation had developed beneath her eyes, her hair ragged and her body wasting away.

It was all her fault. That had been the constant thought whirling round and round in her head. If Anko hadn't been so pathetically weak and had cared so much then she wouldn't have reported her worries about Kakashi's movements to Orochimaru. Her only friend had vanished from the world and Anko had been the cause of it.

During that agonisingly long stay in hospital, Anko had lost the ability to speak. Nurses and ninjas alike tried to talk to her but all they ever received was silence. Anko had found that she had so much emotion; so much pain that words became tangled in her mouth. It was only through violence that she could express herself. Brutal violence gave her protection, a shield hide behind as she tried to rip away emotion from her body. So many times, to the dismay of the hospital staff, Anko had stolen a fork to hack away at the walls and furniture.

Listening to Rin, who had been on the medical team, had always made things more bearable. The older girl's voice was so soothing that it had always calmed Anko's rages. Yet… It had never been enough. The nightmares of her time with Orochimaru had always returned along with the overpowering guilt.

That was until a certain person had turned up in her room one day...

_Anko sat in bed, staring at her hospital food. For two hours she had sat and using her hand she had moulded her mash potatoes into a sculpture of the Hokage Mountain. The nurses had simply watched her, thoroughly used to the girl playing with her food._

_ For a moment Anko gazed at her food sculpture. Then she raised her plastic knife to demolish her two-hour creation._

_ "Feels good, doesn't it?" A voice said._

_ Anko's head jerked upwards to see a redheaded woman enter the room. Her knife hovered dangerously in the air._

_ "When you destroy something you get a sense that you're controlling your life, that you have power," the woman continued. "I'm right aren't I?"_

_ Anko gave her a wary look. How did this woman know?_

_ The woman slowly approached. Then she slowly lifted her long crimson locks, exposing her neck to Anko. Anko's eyes widened as she spotted white scars that criss-crossed their way across the woman's pale skin._

_ "See these scars?" The woman said tapping the back of her neck. "When I was a kid I absolutely _hated_ my hair. So I used to hack away at it all the time."_

_ She dropped her hair and said softly, "I know you won't believe me but I can tell when someone's drowning. I know when someone is so lost that they've forgotten what it's like to love and violence is the only way they can communicate… I really do know."_

_ And somehow Anko could see it in the woman's eyes. Those eyes… They were a strange sea-blue that swirled with the same pain Anko felt, the same agony she was feeling. Yet… Anko could see that something had calmed the woman's pain._

_ Anko licked her cracked lips and finally, finally croaked, "… Name?"_

_ The woman gave her a warm, beautiful smile and said, "Uzumaki Kushina, pleased to meet you."_

Kushina… The Hokage's wife had been the only person who could relate to what Anko had gone through. Both she and Rin had saved Anko.

The rain continued to hammer down upon the crowds of people that were gathering. Grit spattered onto Anko's legs and the air contained a strong earthy scent that reminded Anko of her mother.

Moments like this seemed never ending. Although Logic told Anko that in only few hours she would be at home with a hot cup of tea, the rain slowed time to a dreary standstill. There was so much misery that Anko doubted that even the storm could wash it away.

Without a doubt this was the worst birthday ever but Anko didn't even care. What did a birthday matter when the greatest leader, that Konoha had ever known, was dead?

So many familiar faces peered out in dark mass of mourners. Gai who was usually full of invigorating life dragged his feet, looking strangely drained of colour in his black attire. Jiraiya towered over many of the mourners as he stood next to some Kumo's representatives. Anko spotted Genma and Raido looking grim and over to her far left she caught the orange flash of Uchiha Obito's goggles. Even through the masses of people she could see Obito holding Rin's hand.

Anko felt a shot of relief at the sight of the small gesture. Despite the miserable situation there were still signs of love. No matter how low it was, hope still kindled in Konoha. Anko had no idea how to deal with someone when they were heartbroken. Heck she had a hard enough time figuring out her own emotions. So she was incredibly glad that Rin had Obito to be there for her after the incident with Aoba yesterday.

Yet… Anko stood on her tip-toes. There was one person missing. The one person who perhaps had been closest to the Fourth Hokage. Hatake Kakashi had not turned up to his sensei's memorial.

* * *

><p>"<em>Even the greatest of warriors fear surrender. Did you know that, Kakashi? We live defiantly. Fighting with pride even if it is to the death. But when it comes to emotions it is never about conquest. Yes, we can destroy our emotions however all that's left of us is a shell. There'll be times in your life, Kakashi, where you'll feel so much pain that you'll want to die. Surrender to it and use it so you can be stronger… That's rule number three. 'A true warrior knows when to surrender.'"<em>

Sakumo's lesson had never before been more prevalent in Kakashi's mind. He suddenly stopped walking, splashing into a puddle but Kakashi didn't even feel the water soak through his shoes. Mourners making their way to Minato's memorial washed past him in one blurred river. His surroundings were drained of colour. The drowned pavement was merely one stream of grey, framed by anaemic buildings.

All his life Kakashi had played the part of the perfect ninja. Flawless grades, perfect taijutsu, phenomenal swordsmanship, adept at illusions as well as techniques. He knew that all he had to do was attend Sensei's memorial yet… Kakashi found himself frozen.

The umbrella slipped from his hand and immediately icy rained slammed into him.

Yes… Hatake Kakashi was a perfect ninja. Everyone knew that. He followed orders, had a freakishly high mission success rate, strategic mind and was a fearless fighter. His comrades were inspired when they saw him fight on the field and he constantly impressed his superiors. But on the day of his sensei's memorial, Kakashi found that he couldn't even summon a shred of courage.

He couldn't do it.

Kakashi's body began to move of it's own accord. His feet pulled him away and soon Kakashi was fighting against the river of mourners. The black mass suffocated him and with, shaking frantic hands, Kakashi formed a seal to body flicker away.

As he appeared before the K.I.A memorial in the Third Training Grounds, Kakashi began to shake from the cold. His breath materialised before him in wisps of water vapour and his limbs started to tremble.

"I'm sorry," Kakashi gasped to the marble stone before him. "Dad… I just don't know what to do… K-Kushina… Minato…"

Rule number three. A true warrior knows when to surrender. But if this was surrendering to his emotions then Kakashi would rather die. Is this what his father had meant? Had Sakumo gone through the same thing? He knew that his father had outlived his teammates and sensei. Then of course his mother had been tragically killed during a mission… How had Sakumo handled all of that pain?

When the White Fang had died, the only thing that had kept Kakashi going was Kushina and her sunny face. She had been so warm, a forceful reminder of life with her love and laughter. Kushina hadn't simply been Sakumo's student; she had been part of the family.

Uzumaki Kushina with her thunderous temper and crimson hair had been Kakashi's older sister. Teasing, scolding, occasionally terrifying when she flew into one of her rages but Kakashi had loved her. The tragic thing was that he had never told her.

Kakashi collapsed onto his knees and a sob escaped from his lips. When Sakumo had died Kakashi had found it impossible to cry. Maybe it was due to the shock or perhaps it was because Kakashi simply hadn't had the emotional depth back then to cry. He had disregarded rule number three and had fought his emotions into submission. But, nine years since Sakumo's death, Kakashi caved to the emotions he had been fighting for his entire life. It was terrifying yet somehow… It was a release.

Tears mingled with the rain, running down his cheeks. His mask was soaked, clinging to his face as a second skin, yet Kakashi could taste traces of salt in the material.

He had no idea how long he sat there, knelt before the memorial, with tears trailing down his face. It could have been minutes or even hours. That was the thing about grief. It was timeless. Sure some of the pain would ease away but that reminder would remain with you for the rest of your life.

Suddenly, the rain stopped. Kakashi dragged his gaze away from the memorial stone to find the sky was red above him. However as his blurred eyes began to focus he realised that someone was holding an umbrella over him.

"If you carry on sitting here you're going to catch a chill, y'know," a voice said.

Kakashi blinked. Hard.

Mitarashi Anko stood above him with a soft smile upon her face.

Kakashi opened his mouth then closed it again. He struggled for a moment and cleared his throat. Finally he said lamely, "Got something in my eye."

Anko nodded, "Tends to happen in weather like this."

There wasn't a trace of sympathy or pity in her voice and perhaps that was what caught Kakashi's attention. All there was was a deep understanding in Anko's dark eyes.

She held out a hand and helped Kakashi to stand. Anko raised her arm higher so the umbrella sheltered both of them. "Pretty shit day," Anko muttered. "To think they'd actually forecast sunshine."

It was a typical thing to do. Awkwardly talk about the weather while avoid the obvious subject that was at hand. Her statement was so ridiculously mundane that a strangled laugh escaped from Kakashi's mouth. It sounded so strange to hear laughter on a day like this but he knew that Minato would have hated to see so many people cry for him. If the Fourth Hokage had had things his way then the whole memorial would have been a very understated affair with only a few friends there.

"C'mon," Anko gently tugged at Kakashi's arm. "… Let's go…"

Kakashi cast one long last look at the memorial stone. Then, he allowed Anko to lead him away. Just as they were trudging down the steps Anko suddenly glanced back at the stone and she called, "See you later Mum! Oh, and it was nice to meet you Sakumo-san!"

Kakashi's eyes widened and he glanced down at Anko.

"What?" Anko gave him a nonchalant shrug. "I'm being polite."

It suddenly struck Kakashi how much he had missed Anko's bizarre conversations. The girl was beyond confusing but that was what had always been so interesting about her. She was complicated and though being friends with someone who was complicated wasn't necessarily healthy, Kakashi knew that he would never be bored when he was with her.

They walked through Konoha in relative silence, uncomfortably close underneath the umbrella. Kakashi didn't see the point in walking beneath it at all but he got the feeling that he would get a scolding if he tried to walk in the rain again. Through the fresh smell of the rain Kakashi caught Anko's scent and for once he was grateful of how distracting it was.

"Which way to your house?" Anko asked him.

Kakashi gave a questioning look and Anko sighed. "I'm not going to leave you out here in the rain," she told him.

Hesitantly Kakashi gave her the directions and finally they turned up at the Hatake compound. As Anko took in the drenched training scarecrow and the bare flowerbeds, the sudden image of Kushina wearing a large sunhat while gardening floated through Kakashi's mind.

_"Kakashi! Goddamn it would you stop training and come inside to eat your dinner!"_

Kakashi froze. He ran a hand through his sopping hair and frantically stared around the yard. All that met his gaze was the forlorn scarecrow and the rhythmic thundering of the rain.

"Let's go inside," Anko murmured and she gently led him up the porch. Kakashi's hands shook as he fumbled for his keys and as the warm air of the house hit him when he opened the door, Kakashi realised how cold he was.

His limbs began to shake uncontrollably as he fumbled to take his sandals off, teeth chattering as he dripped water everywhere.

"Go take a shower," Anko instructed him. She cast him a worried glance. "Are you ok to do that?"

Kakashi nodded as he shivered and said, "M-make y-y-"

"Will do," Anko nodded. "Just go have a shower and put on some warm clothes."

Kakashi padded down the hall and into the bathroom. It took far too long for him to strip; his clothes were leaden from the water and his hands could only fumble as he peeled them from his skin.

Finally, he stepped into the shower. A gasp escaped him as hot water hit his skin and all Kakashi could do was grit his teeth until his body was used to the temperature.

The shower took far longer than it usually did. Kakashi stood there for a good half an hour, letting the water run over his body until he stopped shivering. Steam began to obscure his vision and Kakashi found himself in such a deep trance that he shampooed his hair three times without even realising it.

Then… His nose twitched.

With his inhuman sense of smell, Kakashi detected a nostalgic scent waft beneath the bathroom door. He turned the shower knob, halting the water flow. After towelling himself dry and dressing into fresh clothes, Kakashi headed out of the bathroom in pursuit of the smell.

The scent grew stronger as he moved down the hall and it was then Kakashi realised what it was. Miso Soup.

His heart leapt. "Kushina!" He called. Kakashi sprinted into the kitchen and his hope died.

Anko stood at by the stove, clutching two bowls, with a look of surprise. "Are you ok?" She asked him. "… You were in the shower for over an hour."

Of course. Kushina was dead along with Minato… Kakashi ran a hand down his face. So why did he keep straining his ears for Kushina's foghorn voice?

"Miso soup," Kakashi lamely attempted to change the subject, thankful that Anko refrained from mentioning that he had called Kushina's name.

"Kushina taught me how to make it," Anko gave him a wary look as she moved over to the dining table. "… I remembered that she said that you liked it with aubergines?"

Kakashi gave her a surprised look; amazed that Anko would remember something like that. He cleared his throat awkwardly and muttered, "That's right… Thanks."

Anko shrugged and placed the bowls down. "One of the Third's assistant came round while you were in the shower," she told him. "They brought a bow with all the stuff that the Fourth had in the office… I put it in the spare room… If that's ok…"

Kakashi gave her a grateful look. After the misery of today he knew that he wouldn't be able to face going through Minato's stuff. As they sat down at the table, Kakashi gave the miso soup a contemplative stare.

"… Why are you doing all of this?" He finally said, his eyes flicking up to gaze at Anko.

Anko shrugged, her cheeks turning slightly pink, and she muttered, "I couldn't let you catch hypothermia."

Rule number three. A true warrior knows when to surrender. While you were at your knees in surrender, it was your friends who helped you to your feet.

"That's what friends do," Kakashi said casually though all the while eyeing Anko carefully.

Anko looked up from her soup and gave Kakashi a smile. "Yeah…" She whispered, her face full of regret. "That's what friends do."

* * *

><p>"Hey that isn't… Is it?"<p>

"I can't believe I'm seeing him the flesh!"

"He saved my entire family!"

"What a wonderful young man. I remember that his father was a hero too."

This was what Kakashi was hit with as soon as he stepped into the academy grounds. He stood for a moment in the playground, clutching a crate of blankets, listening to the whispers in disbelief.

The storm from yesterday had washed past and now Konoha was filled with hopeful sunshine. Still, after the memorial yesterday, the time to grieve was over as there was still much to do for the relief effort.

"Someone's famous," Asuma muttered to Kakashi as everyone stared at him. With teaching at the academy temporarily suspended, homeless citizens had been given beds in the classrooms.

"I dragged people out of the rubble so how come I don't get people whispering about me?" Raido scowled.

"Because Kakashi's the White Demon," Genma said in a spooky voice. "Descended from the god Raijin himself he smites the evil with his magic blade, rides a flying horse, shags hundreds of women and-"

"And that is how rumours get started," Kakashi shook his head as the three other boys laughed.

"Yeah but with a reputation like yours you could laid so easily," Genma pointed out as he wiggled his senbon suggestively.

"Mere mortals like us have to make do with the dregs," Asuma agreed.

"That may be the case for you mate," Raido laughed and Genma sniggered.

"Now that you have all finished debasing the opposite sex," a stern voice said from behind them. "Would you all kindly bring the supplies in where they are actually needed instead of gossiping like women in the playground."

The four boys turned to meet the disapproving stare of Hyuga Hizashi. "Take the supplies into classroom 1-B," the jonin told them.

There was nothing more disconcerting than a Hyuga's gaze and even Genma couldn't manage to hold his smirk when he met Hizashi's eyes. All the boys could do was mutter, "Yes sir."

Upon entering the academy, Kakashi found himself unnerved by the stares and whispers that surrounded him. It was true that he was used to people talking about him but the tone of the whispers had changed. No longer was he the White Fang's son in people's eyes. Kakashi had become something so much more. With the White Fang and the Yellow Flash gone, the Sannin torn apart and the God of ninja growing older by the day, the old heroes were fading. It was clear that the White Demon was a new symbol of hope; a hero rising from the ash that the kyubi had left in its wake, the beginning of a new generation of ninja.

The sudden realisation of how important his reputation was hit Kakashi in the gut. He had never had particularly grand or majestic dreams like Obito. All Kakashi had ever wanted was to be a ninja who his father could have been proud of. For hours on end, Kakashi had studied Sakumo's scrolls and over analysed every one of his father's missions that were available in the public archive. He had quizzed his summons about his father's techniques and had pestered Jiraiya about Sakumo's feats. All his life Kakashi had assumed that to achieve his dream he would have to match his father's legacy. Yet ironically, whilst chasing a legend, Kakashi had unintentionally set himself on the road of becoming one.

"Leave all the crates in this room," Hizashi instructed them, causing Kakashi to be dragged from his thoughts.

As they dumped the crates in the empty classroom, which had been transformed into a temporary supply store, Hizashi suddenly murmured to Kakashi, "How are you feeling, Hatake?"

Kakashi gave him a slightly surprised look. He glanced over his shoulder as the other three boys who had begun to unpack the crates.

"I'm fine thank you, Hizashi-san," Kakashi replied. After all, what else could he say?

"I heard that you saved a lot of people's lives during the attack," Hizashi told him.

"Not quite enough though," Kakashi cast his eyes at the floor. If he had disobeyed orders could he have saved Minato and Kushina? It was stupid to think these things yet that was all he could think about since Minato's memorial yesterday.

Anko had helped stem the grief from flowing out of control but Kakashi couldn't help but feel that his growing reputation was sickeningly unjustified. If he were a true hero like Minato and Sakumo then he would have been able to save more people.

Hizashi gave Kakashi a long stare. Finally he said, "Follow me."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow but followed Hizashi from the room. They walked in silence as Hizashi led him down the academy corridors and finally into the hall. For a moment Kakashi was struck by how small everything look. When he had graduated in this hall at the age of five the room had seemed cavernous to him. During Obito and Rin's chunin exams, the hall had still appeared relatively big when Kakashi had helped set up the first exam.

Yet, as he walked across the ancient wooden floor, Kakashi realised that it was more of a large classroom than the great hall he remembered. The chairs stacked up in the corner were pint size and the stage at the front no longer towered above him.

Hizashi led Kakashi past the stage to the back of the hall. Suddenly, something caught Kakashi's eye.

"Yes," Hizashi cracked a small smile. "Most people never notice it when they attend academy. It was only when I came here to help with the relief effort that I realised that it was here."

Kakashi stared at the wall, mouth open. Mounted with pride were hundreds of photographs of every single genin team who had graduated from Konoha's academy. The photos dated all the way back to the time of the First, layered in dust, containing thousands of hidden memories. Kakashi's eyes roved over the smiling faces and he couldn't help but wonder where all of these teams were now.

"The year of 754 might interest you," Hizashi told him.

Kakashi jerked his head upwards and immediately a flash of yellow caught his eye. A ten-year-old Namikaze Minato grinned down at him. The almost girlish appearance of his late sensei caused a smile to appear on Kakashi's face. Then… The smile faded as he gazed at Minato's teammates who had apparently died during the Second War.

Suddenly the photo beside Minato's held Kakashi's attention. The team was perhaps the strangest to have graduated that year. To the left stood a serious looking Hyuga who was clearly not at all amused at having his photograph taken. Next stood a boy with an instantly forgettable face. The poor genin appeared to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The final member of the team was a girl with an explosion of crimson hair. She had a furious look upon her grime-stained face as her sensei had to physically turn her head so she was facing the camera.

It was clearly a dysfunctional team and the sensei, who looked more like a bandit than a ninja, had a long-suffering look upon his face. Beneath the photo was a golden plague that read:

_Team 6_

_Sensei: Hatake Sakumo_

_Students: Hyuga Hizashi, Joji and Uzumaki Kushina_

Kakashi spun around and said to Hizashi, "You were on a team with Kushina?"

Hizashi slowly nodded as he stared at his old team's photograph. "Kushina and I… Never saw eye to eye," he said carefully. "We both gave your father hell sometimes and that was the only time we ever got on."

Hizashi fell silent and there was hint of regret in his pale eyes.

"What about Joji?" Kakashi asked.

"He died during this summer," Hizashi said shortly. Seeing Kakashi's face, Hizashi sighed and continued, "Cancer. They caught it too late, I believe. He was a weapons specialist, owned the best shop in Konoha. Married some kunoichi and had a daughter called Tenten, same age as my son… At least he achieved his dream."

"Hizashi-san?" Genma's voice echoed across the hall. "You're needed in classroom 1-B. More supplies have arrived."

Hizashi cleared his throat, dragging himself from the photographs. Without another word the head of the Hyuga branch spun on his heel and exited the hall.

Kakashi knew that he should probably follow but he found himself glued to the spot. All he could do was gaze at the wall.

His eyes moved from Minato and Kushina's year to the class that had graduated eleven years before. In the year of 743 there had only been three teams to graduate and successfully pass. However, it was not the old photograph of the Sannin that interested Kakashi. Nor was it the photo of a newly graduated Sakumo accompanied by his old team. Instead his gaze was fixated upon the third photo.

_Team 9_

_Sensei: Mitokado Homura_

_Students: Yuhi Hisao, Shiranui Ayane and Himura Risa_

Shiranui Ayane, who was clearly related to Genma, was a haughty looking child who shared the smirk of her relative. To her left stood Yuhi Hisao. If someone had told Kakashi that that laughing boy would grow up to be a grim soldier, well, he would never have believed them.

Hisao was laughing yet unlike his teammate, he wasn't looking at the camera. Instead his eyes were drawn to his other teammate who stood on his far right. The photographer had caught Hisao in mid laughter, as he stood forever frozen in time, awaiting Himura Risa's reaction.

Risa… Kakashi drank in her appearance. The chestnut hair, the deep blue irises and the faraway expression… Yet her face was frighteningly familiar. Kakashi briefly touched his masked face as he stared at Risa's sharp cheekbones and narrow jawline.

All his life Kakashi had only a photograph and a vague recollection of his mother's scent to go by. It had taken him years to collect tiny yet valuable pieces of information about her. She had been in the cryptography unit; they shared the same appearance and apparently stubbornness too.

Kakashi knew it would be eternal mystery as to what happened between Hisao, Risa and Sakumo but suddenly he felt a strange peace settle over him.

All of these teams… How many of them actually remained? The Sannin were torn apart, Sakumo's entire genin team were dead, Hizashi was the sole survivor of his team and all of Jiraiya's students had died in action.

Kakashi's gaze then flicked down the year of 768.

_Team 7_

_Sensei: Namikaze Minato_

_Students: Uchiha Obito, Nohara Rin and Hatake Kakashi_

Resolve filled Kakashi and he tightened his fists. Staring at the smiling face of Namikaze Minato he whispered, "It all up to us now… Isn't it Sensei? We're the new generation. Don't worry… I promise that we'll make you proud."

* * *

><p>Later that evening, when Kakashi opened the front door he was hit with the words, "I'm going to live with you."<p>

"Huh?" He blinked, staring at Obito who was standing on his porch. Suddenly Kakashi's quiet evening of reading book vanished in a puff of unceremonious smoke.

"I think what Obito means is 'can I live with you'?" Rin peered round Obito and she offered Kakashi a sympathetic smile.

"Wait… You're going to live here too?" Kakashi said bemused as Obito pushed past him and into the house.

"No I just came to help Obito with his bags," Rin told him as she picked up the remaining luggage and walked into Kakashi's house. All Kakashi could was scratch his head as Obito strolled off and dumped his bags in Kakashi's spare bedroom.

"Err… Make yourself at home?" Kakashi followed them as he watched Rin begin to unpack some Obito's things.

He leant against the doorframe, watching Rin unpack Obito clothes. Obito suddenly spun around and said, "Why weren't you at Sensei's memorial? I mean… Everyone was there… You of all people should have-"

"I know," Kakashi cut in. "I was… I was… Well…"

His two teammates waited expectantly and suddenly Kakashi laughed, "I guess I got lost on the road of life."

Obito and Rin both visibly relaxed. Silent understanding passed between the three of them. Without Minato, Team 7 was at a loss… But that was the thing. They were no longer ten years old anymore. It was up to them to keep moving on and support each other through whatever happened.

Obito cleared his throat awkwardly and said, "I left my clan."

"I… Broke up with Aoba," Rin whispered.

"I've been made ambassador to Kumo," Kakashi sighed.

It took them a moment to digest all the information that had passed. Suddenly Rin cast an eye at a lone cardboard box that sat upon the bed. She peered in it and gasped. Picking up an oddly shaped kunai from the box she said, "… Is this?"

Slowly Kakashi nodded, "It was delivered to me yesterday. I haven't had a chance to look at it yet."

With a curious expression Obito pulled out what looked like a thick manuscript and read, "_Flirting Paradise. Volume 1 of the Make Out Series…_ By Jiraiya? He's an author?"

Kakashi watched Obito scan the first page. Immediately his friend turned bright red and he slammed the manuscript shut. "Yeah I… Might give this a read later," Obito said casually as he stowed the manuscript away into one of his bags.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, making a mental note to tease Obito later. He too gazed into the box and pulled out a book. It was clear that the book had been well loved by Minato. Tatty, dog-eared with hundreds of creases in the spine Minato must have read the book so many times.

"_The Tale of an Utterly Gutsy Ninja_," Kakashi read. He flicked to a random page in the book and suddenly the main character's name caught his eye.

Naruto… Kakashi thought of Minato and Kushina's son. The Third had agreed to the conditions of it being publically known that Naruto was Konoha's jinchuriki. Kakashi knew that they were giving Naruto the path of an incredibly tough childhood however he was certain that it was for the best.

There were still hundreds of meetings to take place for everything to be finalised. Darui was to visit Konoha soon to help Konoha educate people about jinchuriki but hopefully with Kumo's help things would run smoothly. Kakashi couldn't help but smile at finally seeing his friend again. He missed Darui and Kumo's majestic peaks.

Slowly… The smile faded away. The Third had placed one condition however. Kakashi, Obito and Rin were not to communicate with Naruto during his childhood. As Minato's students it would arouse suspicion if they had any close relationships with Naruto. All they could do was protect him from the shadows.

Kakashi watched his friends go through Minato's things and he smiled. Now was not the time to break the news to them.

"I can't believe Minato and Kushina are gone," Rin sighed. "And poor Naruto…"

Suddenly Obito clapped a hand on both of his friends shoulders and he grinned, "We've still got each other."

Rin smiled and said softly, "That's right… We're family."

Family...

_"We only show our faces to the ones we truly trust, love and care about."_

Slowly Kakashi peeled down his mask causing Rin and Obito to smile. "Yeah that's right," he grinned. "We're family."

Everything froze and crystallised into one perfect moment for Team.

Yes, the future yawned in one frightening void in front of them but the unknown wasn't only just terrifying. It was exhilarating . As the three of them waved farewell to an era they were setting off into a new one. Of course growing up was never easy and living the life of a ninja was even harder. They would stumble, trip and fall along the way. Hearts would be broken, friends lost and one would die a tragic death.

Yet songs would be sung about the three friends and their names would upon the lips of Konoha citizens' lips for generations to come. One would be the inventor of techniques that would be famous across countries and the creator of a new nation. Another would become Hokage, reliving their Sensei's dream and protecting Konoha. The last would be forever immortalised as a legend.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well that's it! There will be NO sequel, however I do feel that I should probably give a reason for the abrupt end to this fic.**

**When I first joined FF net my original intention was just to practice writing in third person. My first FF story **Daybreak** was the first story I wrote in third person and **Chasing a Legend **is the first thing I've written in past tense. So I hope my writing has come on since then though of course there are many, many writers on this site who are streets ahead of me.**

** However I realised the other day that it's been over year since I've watched an episode of Naruto and from the recent decline in quality of the chapters you've probably guessed that I've lost a lot of steam.**

**In any case even though I said I would write ten arcs, I've decided to end CAL here. FF is all about writing about a fandom that you love and I can't force myself to write. It wouldn't be fair on you as readers to read writing of poor quality and I'm no longer able to do this fandom justice.**

**To those who have followed this to the bitter end thanks so much for reading. I've loved every review I've received.**

** Believe me when I say I'll miss FF net and I'm sorry to leave you like this but right now I'm just so tired and I really need to move on.**

** If anyone wishes to continue CAL or is intrigued to what I had planned, PM me and I'll pass on my plans for Part II.**

**Thanks for reading and good luck in whatever you want to do!**

**-Voiceofsummer**


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